


The Search Of A Guilty Woman

by Silverlilac07



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 05:45:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 33,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4008082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverlilac07/pseuds/Silverlilac07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post-Brotherhood... Guilt can drive people to do some pretty crazy things. So, what will happen when young Trisha Elric is faced with a situation that brings the excruciating pain of guilt upon her? All she wanted to do was heal her mother, but now all she wants is to run. She wanted to vanish. However; she knew it was impossible. For how could anyone just suddenly...Disappear?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Determination

_**The Search Of A Guilty Woman** _

 

_**\- Chapter 1** _

Determination

"Robin, Dinner is ready!" A short middle aged woman called up the latter. Robin glanced up from the news papers in her hand, and quickly flung herself off her bed, stuffing the newspapers in a brown wooden chest under her bed. "Coming!" She replied as she hurried across the room and scurried down the latter. She made her way through the small living area and walked into the kitchen.

A man who looked to be in his late 50's was sitting down at the small kitchen table, waiting for the food to be served. " Hi pops." Robin greeted the man as she took a seat next to him. The woman placed a pot of stew in the middle of the table, and then turned to get the dishes.

"Robin," The man started. "You wouldn't happen to know where the newspaper went today?" Robin became a little flustered as she tried to worm her way out of the situation. "Uh, well you see. I um."

"Robin, You can't keep stealing the newspaper whenever you feel like it. I would like to read them once in a while you know."

"Sorry, dad." Robin apologized, scratching the back of her head. " I mean how else am I supposed to know what goes on in the world?"

"Oh hush Alvin, you can always listen to the radio like I do." The woman said as she gave a dish to her husband and daughter. "Let her have them." She sat down on the other side of her husband. "What for Pauline, I mean what do you do with them, Robin?" Alvin pushed trying to understand his daughters weird behavior. Robin stopped for a second debating on weather she should come out and tell them her little secret, but how could she, it would crush them if they new the truth. Alvin continued to push for an answer while eating his dinner. "Come to think of it you basically lock yourself away in that old attic. What are you doing up there all day?"

"Alvin, come now let her be."

"Pauline, it's not normal I tell ya"

"So she has some secrets, doesn't everyone?"

"Well this secret of hers is keeping her way from us, It would be nice if could spend some quality time with my own daughter.

Robin continued to listen to her parents argument, still not sure if she should come clean. If she tell them the truth they could be crushed, but if She keep it a secret She may never know who she truly is. Would it really be that bad if she just told them that she was looking for her birth parents, trying to figure out the secret to her past? But whenever she would bring it up in the past, they would always paste a sad expression on their faces. No, she just had to know who she was, even if they were disappointed. She just couldn't handle it anymore.

"You wanna know what I've been doing upstairs in the attic, reading all of those newspapers everyday?" Robin asked, interrupting the debate that Alvin and Pauline were having. Pauline turned towards her daughter with a worried expression and spoke, " Oh sweetheart, you don't have to tell us it's okay if you have a secret or two." Alvin quickly, but gently put his hand on Pauline's arm. "No, let the girl speak."

Robin took a deep breath and prepared herself for the expected disappointment. She looked up and got as serious as she could. "The truth is," She began, extremely nervous. Summoning up all the courage in her body she finally spoke her mind. "The truth is, I have been reading through the newspapers everyday in hopes that I would be able to find any clues as to who my birth parents are." Robin Held her breath and waited for the disappointed looks to show, but was surprised to find that they were more shocked than disappointed. silence filled the room, and it felt like it lasted forever when in reality it had only lasted for a couple of seconds. 

"Your Birth parent?" Pauline suddenly said still a little confused.

"You mean to tell me that you have been spending all of your time looking for your birth parents?" Alvin added. "Yes?" She replied unsure of what to say next. Robin stayed silent hoping for one of them to say something, but when it was apparent that they were both still utterly shocked at her confession, she continued to speak. " I'm sorry, I mean I love you guys so much, don't get me wrong, but... i just... I just have this empty feeling inside of me, like I'm missing something. And I think that if I can find out who I was in the past then maybe that feeling will disappear once and for all."

"Oh Sweetheart, you don't have to apologize to us, it's only natural that you would want to know." Pauline explained finally being able to comprehend what it was that Robin was telling them. "Really?" Robin asked, part of her relieved that they weren't disappointed, and another confused. "Robin, why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Alvin asked.

"I guess I was just afraid that you would be disappointed in me"

"Disappointed, now what would give you that idea?" He continued

"Well, I thought that maybe you would think that I didn't think that you were good enough for me."

"Oh Sweetheart, we know that you love us, and we could never be disappointed in you for wanting to know about your past." Pauline assured her. Robin finally let out a big sigh, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. She was so relieved that they had taken it so well. I guess it's now or never. She had to ask them. "I'm glad you're not upset, and there is one thing that I wanted to ask you." Pauline gave her a sweet and understanding smile. "Of course dear, what is it?"

"Well, as you know I'm now eighteen years old and I was wondering if you would let me leave and search Amestris for anything that could help me with my search?"

"You want to leave?" Alvin asked confused and conflicted at the same time. "Is this really that important to you, Robin?" Important to her? how could it not be important to her? "Of course it is, I have to know who I am." She was desperately hoping for any signs of approval at this point. There was a moment of silence as Alvin and Pauline exchanged looks. "Well," Pauline began after the quiet, "You are eighteen now, and if it really means this much to you. I just don't want you to be too disappointed if you find something that you don't like."

"You know Robin, it is possible that they might not even be alive, I mean we don't know for sure." Alvin added. It was true, and the thought had struck her a couple times before. However there was also a chance that they were alive, living their normal life out there somewhere. "I know, but I have to take the risk, if it means that there just the slightest chance that I could find them,I have to go."

"Well?" Pauline looked at Alvin for a resolve. He finally let out a small sigh as he said. "I guess if it means this much to you, you have my support." Robin couldn't believe it. They had said yes. She could go on her journey, finally after all these years she could discover who she really was. "Oh Thank you, thank you so much!" She exclaimed, as she jumped out of her seat and went to hug her foster parents. "You don't know how much this means to me, thank you!"

Robin spent the rest of the night packing her things for the next day. She would leave bright and early ready for a new adventure. "Look out Amestris, Things are about to change."


	2. Unexpected

\- Chapter 2

Unexpected

Robin was sitting at the bar in a pub lowly drinking a cup of coffee. She had been traveling for five days now, and she was exhausted. It was late at night, around 8:00 pm. She was sitting inside of a pub in a town called Jobitu. "Hey, you okay there miss?" Robin flung her eyes open and looked up at the bar tender. She had almost fell asleep on the counter. "What, oh, uh yeah I'm fine. Just a little tiered I guess." she replied half – heatedly. "Had a rough day huh?" He took her empty cup and started to wash it. "You could say that." she sighed. It was true, she was having a rough time. She had walked through snow for five days, stopping at every town on the way. She hadn't made any progress at all. Nothing, and it was extremely frustrating. Then again it's not that strange. I mean what was she expecting? That she would go out one day and find her parents the next? No, but she did expect progress at this point, but there she was sitting in a pub drowning her sorrows with Coffee. It felt useless.

"You know, you look like someone who has been beaten by the world," The bar tender continued. " You look awful." He was probably right She must have looked pathetic laying there. "If I were you I'd be sleeping in a bed, not drinking coffee." Robin continued to stay silent. What does it matter anyways. What if she wasn't ready for this? What if she had been wrong? It certainly didn't feel right. "Hey, are you listening to me?"

"yeah, here." she said as she paid for the coffee and dragged herself out the door into the blistering cool night. She had to find an inn that she could stay in for the night. So she continued to drag herself through town.

Robin was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the person running straight towards her. Then all of a sudden she found herself on the ground. "Ow!" She complained as rubbed her head. Robin was not in a very pleasant mood, and she just snapped. "HEY, watch where you're going moron!" She yelled as she got up from the ground, but before she could turn and look at the person she had collided with she was quickly pulled into a dark ally way close by, and held close to a man's body. She could tell it was a man because of who the body felt.

This was crazy. She was being held against her will by a strange man. Then all of a sudden she could her military officials approaching. This gave her some hope, and she tried to scream. "ssh." I heard the man whisper. Did he just shushed her? This was starting to freak Robin out. This just wasn't her day. She tried to escape his grip by squirming around, but it was no use, he was way stronger than she was and was able to keep a tight grip on her.

"I think he went over here, come on!" One of the guards had called out. Wait... he? Were they chasing after the man who was holding her captive? That must mean that he's a criminal. Robin was beyond scared and was now petrified. She was being held captive by a criminal. Who knows what he was going to do her. Robin could hear the sound of the guards footsteps gradually start to disappear. No, they can't leave; they have to find her. Who else is going to save her?

Robin began trashing around as violently as she could in an attempt to escape, But no matter what she tried she couldn't get loose. He would just tighten his grip and tell her to quiet down. Eventually the guard's foot steps had faded out completely, and so had my last chance of escape.

Knowing that the guards were gone The man started to move further down the ally way. Where was he taking her? What was he going to do? Robin couldn't stop shaking with fear, and her mind played through the possible outcome of the situation she was in, kidnap, Rape, Murder. None of which sounded to pleasant to her.

They came to a dead end when they had gone pretty far in. The only thing there was a rusted old dumpster. She hoped that this was the end and that he would let her go. I mean there was nowhere left to run, but once again she was surprised at what he did next. He stuck his foot under the dumpster and quickly and as quietly as he could moved it about a foot forward. Robin was absolutely stunned. This man was very strong, which only worried her more. After that he took one giant leap right over it, keeping me close and unable to move. There wasn't a lot of room behind the old dumpster, and we had to squeeze a little to fit.

He finally plopped down to the ground, still holding me. And in the end I ended up sitting in his lap, cramped together, behind an old rusty dumpster. What a night huh? And it wasn't over yet. She still had to find a way out of this mess.

"I'm sorry." The man finally spoke. Wait, you're sorry? This was either looking really good or really bad. "I'll let you go now, if you promise not to scream." If I promised not to scream?! Was he insane?! He kidnaps her and he wants her to stay quiet and CALM!? "Please, I'm begging you. If they find me they'll take me back to that awful place again. So please Please don't scream. Promise?" Robin was actually a little surprised at this. He sounded so...Sincerer, almost scared. "Promise?" He continued to push, hoping to find a sign of acceptance. 'I hope I'm not making a huge mistake here' She thought as she slowly nodded her head.

He slowly, but cautiously loosened his grip, and finally let her go all together. Robin quickly pulled herself off of the man and turned around, sitting opposite of him. She came face to face with the most beautiful violet eyes she had ever seen. He was very well built, his face was a little rounded, but not chubby, and he had jet black hair that was cut short, but the one thing that she noticed the most was a red tattoo on his forehead. It was hard to explain, but it sort of resembled a dragon. "I'm so sorry for taking you like that. It's just that I didn't have much time, and I couldn't afford direction." He went on trying to explain his situation.

He really did seem like a nice young man, but then why were there guards after him? He said that they were going to take him back. Was he running away from something.. "Are you okay miss? I really am sorry."

"Oh no, it's okay." It's OKAY!? Did she just say that it was okay?! It was not okay this man almost scarred her to death, but Robin couldn't help but to almost pity the man. I mean he looked so frightened, like a lost little puppy. "Are you sure?" He asked, stunned by her forgiving attitude. " Yes, I'm fine, but more importantly who were those guys chasing after you, and why were you trying to get away?" He froze for a second, and then he hung his head downward with so much sorrow that it almost started to effect her. "You see," He started. "I sort of ran away from my master."

"Your master? Are in training for something?"

"No, not exactly. It's more like, well it's hard to explain."

"Well I think you kind of owe it to me to tell me why you kidnapped me."

He sighed in defeat knowing that she wasn't going to leave without an explanation. "Have you ever heard of a Humonculi?" He asked plastering a serious look on his face. "A humonculi? No I don't think so, Why?" I could tell he was in deep thought, probably debating on whether he should tell her or not. "Well, you see. A homunculous is basically an artificially made human. A homunculous is usually created when a certain person feels the need to dispose of a trait or said emotion. So they go through a very complicated process of forcing that trait or emotion out of their mind and body. Which creates an artificially made human or Humonculi, that contains the trait or emotion that you wish to dispose of." Robin's mind was racing around trying to digest what he had just explained to her. artificially made humans? The separation of emotions? This all sounded crazy to her. "So what does this have to do with you?" She asked , now extremely curious as to who this young man was.

He looked up and looked straight into my eyes, keeping a stern and serious look on his face, and simply stated. "I am a homunculous." WHAT...Wait a second, This guy is an artificially made human? Was She dreaming? This couldn't be real, I mean it sounded absolutely ridiculous. This had to be a joke, right? "Wait, so you're telling me that you're an artificially made human with a single trait locked inside of you?" She asked still finding it hard to believe. "Well no, not exactly."

"But, you just said?"

"The truth is, when my master tried to create me, well you see he wasn't exactly the most experienced scientist, and so he accidentally got rid of more than he bargained for." This was getting more confusing by the second. "Wait, so what does that mean?"

"It means...that I have more than just one trait inside of me."

"So...?"

"So, it means that I'm not human, but I'm not a homunculous either."

It made sense, what he was telling her, but it was still completely unbelievable. Then she thought back to why he was running. "So wait, I still don't understand why you were running away." He then looked at her like she was crazy. "You don't think that something so dangerous and insane is legal, do you?"

"It's not?"

"No, of course not, and Mr. Psychopath doesn't want it to get out that he committed a crime. So of course he is going to send out his goons to fetch me." His goons? Does that mean that the people who were looking for him wasn't military officials, but in fact thugs? "I never wanna go back there ever again." He began. "That man is out of his mind, hes gone completely insane. So I ran, and I can't stop running unless I want to be caught."

This guy is strong, and he seems quite reliable. Then a most brilliant thought crossed her mind. "Why don't come with me?" Robin blurted out.. She could tell by the stunned look on his face that he couldn't believe what he had just heard. " I mean you're really strong, and you seem like someone who would help anyone in need. And I'm always traveling. So you wouldn't have to stop running." What was she doing, this guy who she just met isn't even human, and shes inviting him to accompany her on her journey. Although it could become quite a challenge to travel on her own. If she had someone there to protect her and keep her company wasn't it worth it?

"You want me to come with you?" He asked still not sure if he was just hearing things. So Robin slowly nodded her head to give him the assurance he was searching for. Then all of a sudden his expression changed from that of a shocked man to an overjoyed one. "That would be just amazing! You're sure you're fine with this?"

"Of course, I could use the company. It gets pretty lonely traveling by yourself." Then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, wait a second. You never told me what your name was."

"Kevin." He said with a smile, "Just Kevin."

"Robin, Robin Scott." She said holding out her hand. He took her hand and shook it in agreement.. "Know, how are we going to get out of the town without anyone noticing you?" Robin stated. Trying to figure something out." What exactly are they looking for?" She asked him hoping that they could sneak out id they just hid some things. Kevin took his hand and pointed to the tattoo on his forehead. "This." He simply stated. The tattoo? That seems quite vague. Robin thought for a moment, and then an idea came to her. She took her hat off and flung unto his head. "There we go," She said, smiling. "Now no one can see it."

"But aren't you cold now?" He asked a little concerned for her body heat. "It's fine."she replied. Then she grabbed his arm and lifted him up into a standing position. "Now," She began. "First we need to get out from behind this old rusty dumpster." And before she could say anything else she was swept up into his arms and was up in the air, then down on the other side of the dumpster in less then Three seconds. "well," She said as he put her back down. "That's one way of doing it."

They carefully walked to the opening of the ally and looked around making sure that there were no goons in sight, Once they saw that the coast was clear the left the ally and made their way to the edge of town, making sure they moved at a natural pace, so that they wouldn't draw any unnecessary attention. And somehow they were able to escape the town without detection.

"So, I guess were camping, huh?" She said sarcastically. He chuckled and replied with a " I guess so"

"Hey, you never told me what trait or emotion you were supposed to be?" Robin asked thinking of all the possible traits and emotions inside of the human soul. He smiled and simply said. "Curiosity."


	3. Clues

_**\- Chapter 3** _

Clues

"Kevin, wake up! How could you sleep at a time like this?" Robin was shaking Kevin violently, in an attempt to wake him up.

Two days had passed since Robin had met Kevin and invited him to accompany her on her journey. And it had turned out great. He had been wonderful company and she enjoyed talking to him. Although at times he would get very nosey and question everything she did. During those times she would just try to ignore him, and when that didn't work he would receive a pounding to remind him that she had heard enough.

Kevin turned around in his sleeping bag, looked up, and when his eyes adjusted to the light, he found two big eager brown eyes staring down at him. His cheeks turned a soft shade of pink as he realized how close her face was to his. "Come on sleepy head, It's time to go." She exclaimed with a bright smile. Kevin looked over to where Robin had been sleeping and found that she had already packed up her things. Well at least he assumed so. There was nothing over there but a blank tarp. He guessed that she must have taken all her stuff outside the tent. She stood up and continued to stare down at him I'll be waiting outside." She finished, and then exited the tent, leaving Kevin to get ready.

As Robin exited the tent she let the beautiful morning sun bathe her in it's warm glow. She inhaled the crisp and fresh scent of the trees, and let it linger for a little while before exhaling. Robin wasn't sure if it was her new companion or the new warm weather, but she felt unstoppable. Like there was nothing in the whole world that could bring her down. She loved this new feeling of hope and determination.

Kevin came out of the tent with all of his stuff packed, and prepared to take down the tent. As They took the tent down Robin couldn't help but notice something off about him, and it wasn't until they had taken the tent down and put it with the rest of their stuff when she finally notice what it was that had been bothering her. She turned and quickly started to dig through all of the stuff they had just finished packing. Kevin noticed and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed as she tore through the neat pile they just created. "Hey, what are you doing?" He asked, a little confused at her odd behavior. Then Robin finally found what it was that she was searching for. "Ah, here it is." With that she pulled out a grey bandana and presented it to him. "A headband?" He asked, still not having a clue as to where she wa going with this. Robin rolled her eyes, and then as to answer his question wrapped the bandanna around his head and tied a knot in the back to hold it in place. "There, now no one will be able to see your tattoo."

Kevin shifted his eyes up to where his tattoo was supposed to be, but just found the headband covering it up instead. As he realized what she had just done he couldn't help but let a sweet smile spread across his face. He looked down at the beautiful red haired girl and simply said. "Thanks."

"Hey no problem, I mean we wouldn't want people figuring out who you really are now would we?" She stated, and then turned around and began putting all of her things back again. Kevin just stood there watching her try and fit all of her stuff back in her bag, and he realized just how beautiful she really was, especially when the sun was shinning down on her the way it was. She beautiful pale skin, warm brown eyes, and long red hair that looked like it had been bathed in blood. Robin could feel Kevin's eyes examining her every move, and although it would seem kind of creepy to some people, she couldn't help but blush a little at the sudden attention.

As she finished the packing she stood up and flung the bag unto her back. "See something you like, huh?" She said finally turning her gaze towards him. Kevin, being impressed bu the fact that she had caught him staring turned a bright shade of red and quickly turned his head away. "What, no, I mean, well, you see." Robin giggled at the way he was stuttering over every word. " Come on, We have about another four miles before we reach the next town." She interrupted, happy to end his suffering. "Right." He replied. And with that they were off.

"So where exactly are we going?" Kevin asked, hoping to get an idea of the place they were heading to. Robin pulled out the map she had in the side pocket of her bag, and opened it. "Lets see." She began, studying the map. "Ah, here it is, New Obtain." She read. "Once we get there we can either keep going south until we hit East City, Or we could choose to go East towards the desert and then turn back, and the last option is to head west towards the Central Area." Robin said, pitching out her ideas. "Well," Kevin started. "I think we should continue going south till we hit East city, then we can kind of go in a circle, you know. We could go from east to south then up to the west area, and then finally make our way towards Central. What do think?"

"I think that's a brilliant plan." Robin commented as she rolled up the map and slid it back into her bag. "I'm just glad to finally be out of the cold weather." She added. "So it doesn't really matter to me where we go, as long as we stay away from the North area." Before Kevin could comment on what Robin was saying. She let out a high pitched shriek. "Look Kevin, There it is, New Obtain! Com on I'll beat you there!" She exclaimed as she started running as fast as she could towards the town. "Hey no fair! You got a head start!" Kevin yelled as he ran after her. Having a harder time because of all the baggage he was carrying on his back.

When he finally was able to catch up, Robin was already standing there waiting for him. " I win." She said victoriously, a huge grin spreading across her face. Kevin rolled his eyes. "You cheated."

"Oh don't be such a poor sport. She said placing her hands on her hips.

"Never mind that, we have to find a place to stay for the night." He said changing the subject.

They started walking around town searching for a hotel or Inn. After searching for a couple of minutes they asked some people around town if they knew a place. And they were able to direct them to a nice little Hotel right next to a train station. "Here, you check in to a room, and I'll go looking around town for anything that could help in my search." Robin said as she dumped all of her stuff on Kevin. And before He could object she had already run off to who knows where.

Robin was walking through the town trying to get a feel of the place. It was a very busy town, and it seemed like there was a never ending supply of shops. Whether they were selling food or jewelry. She could tell it was a major tourist attraction. From the bits and pieces of information she could gather from the conversations that she could over hear, She was able to learn that New Obtain was very famous for it's clothing, and by the looks of what the people were selling and wearing, they sure were able to live up to their reputation.

Robin started her search. She went around to any shop owner who was willing to listen, and asked about missing persons, single families, young deaths, ect, but it seemed like nobody was willing to listen unless I made a purchase. And the people that were willing to listen were no help at all. From the looks of the sky she could tell that it was getting late, maybe 7-8'clock at night.

As Robin started to turn back a small Green building caught her eye. It looked very old and run down, and the green pint was faded and peeling of the wooden planks of the walls. Anyone would have probably just guessed that it was abandoned, but still there was a small little sign on the smudged, cracked, glass door that said 'open'. So she headed over and took a look inside. Having a hard time seeing through the dirty glass door, she decided to go in to have a better look. Who knows maybe she would find something useful inside.

As she opened the door a small bell hanging from the top of the door frame rang out, informing anyone who was in there that she had entered. From the looks of the place she could tell that it was an old pub, and she wasn't to surprised to see that there was nobody there, except for a short old man behind an old bar cleaning off the dust in some of his glasses.

When he heard the bell he quickly turned his attention to her, and a sweet smile danced across his face. "Why, hello there young lady. Would you like a drink? Or perhaps something to eat?" He sounded like a very sweet guy. I made my way to the bar and sat down in one of the stools. "This place looks so old, and it doesn't seem like you have a lot of customers." She stated. Robin almost expected the man to frown and tell her that it was none of her concern, but he just kept smiling and dusting off his glasses and mugs. "You're right this place is quite old, and I rarely get any customers anymore. Would you like some coffee, my dear?"

"Sure." Robin replied. She could certainly use it after the long day. "Do you ever think of closing up shop and retiring?" Robin stopped for a second hoping that what she said hadn't offended him. "Now, surely I don't look that old?" He replied still smiling as sweetly as ever. "Oh no sir, it's just it seems like such a waste if nobody wants to come."

"You sound like my wife. She wants me to tear this place down aswell." He handed Robin her coffee and continued to explain his love for the shop. "But you see, this place means more to me than life itself. I just can't get myself to leave it behind."

"That's really sweet." She reply taking a sip of her coffee. He simply smiled at her and said. "Thank you, my dear." She then remembered why she came in here in the first place. Robin turned to the old man and threw out her questions, hoping to gain some useful information. "Do you know of any people that have been missing for a while, or maybe, have you heard of any child deaths in the past thirteen years?"

She could tell he was surprised by her sudden change of subject, because the smile that he had been wearing non stop ever since she entered the shop had turned into a surprised one. "Missing people?" He asked, making sure that he had heard her correctly. Robin nodded and said, "Yes, do you know of anything like that?" He thought for a moment trying to remember the last thirteen years. "I'm sorry my dear, I don't." He finally confirmed. Of course he didn't, she thought. This was getting harder and harder everyday. "I see, I'm sorry to have bothered you with it." She finished her coffee, paid the old man, and was about to leave when he spoke again. "Wait a second miss," Robin turned around a little confused. Maybe she had paid to much, or maybe she hadn't paid enough. "Yes?" She asked. "If you want to know about any people who have gone missing, I suggest that you head to Central."

"Central? What for?"

"They have a record of everyone who has ever been reported missing or dead. You be able to find what you're looking for there." He finished. Little did he know that he had probably saved the last bit of hope she had left. Robin ran up to the old man took his hands and began thanking him like a crazy person. "Oh my gosh, Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You don't know how much this means to me, thank you!" And with that Robin flew out of the shop and basically ran all the way back to the hotel. Leaving behind a dumbfounded old man to wonder why she was so happy in the first place.

Kevin was lying on his bed reading one of the newspapers in search for clues when Robin burst through the door, scaring him half to death. "Kevin!"

"Robin, what the hell? You wanna bust out my eardrums or something? Calm down." Kevin said as he tried to get his heartbeat back to a regular pace. "Change of plans Kevin. Were heading to Central." She said as she threw her jacket of and tossed it unto her bed. "Wait what, but I thought we were going to head south, What happened?"

"What happened is that Central has a list of every person that has been reported missing or dead. Which means that that is where we are going to be going next." Robin kicked off her shoes and turned around giving Kevin a look that told him that he should turn around. He understood exactly what she was doing and turned to face the wall. Robin quickly got undressed and started to put her Pj's on. "So were heading to Central then?" He asked still a little stunned at the sudden change of plans. "Yeah, were taking the early train tomorrow. You can turn around now." She said as she went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. "Why so early?" Robin stuck her head out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in her mouth. "I wan oo get dere as soon as possible." She simply stated and continued to brush her teeth.

She rinsed her mouth and climbed into her bed. "Now go to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." And with that she tuned off the lights went to sleep. Kevin looked at her while trying to digest everything she had just told him. After a while he smiled and softly whispered. "I'm glad that you found a clue." Then went to bed himself


	4. Celebrate

_**\- Chapter 4** _

Celebrate

The train ride to Central gave Robin and Kevin a chance to relax, and felt wonderful. Even though the train seats were really firm, and sitting on it for hours had made both of there butts go numb, it was still better than walking around on foot the whole day. They had been sitting in the train for two days now, and Robin was wondering if they were ever going to get there. Then, as if the train Knew exactly what she was thinking, she caught a glimpse of tall buildings rising in the distance, slowly growing larger as the train quickly sped forward.

"Kevin, look!" She exclaimed, grabbing his arm and practically forcing him to the window so that he could see what she saw. "Is that Central?" He asked after taking a minute to compose himself from the sudden burst of excitement. "It sure is," Robin began, feeling more and more excited by the minute. Finally after days of searching she had her first clue. How could she not be excited? "It's there Kevin. The first step to unlocking my past; I can feel it." She finished, unable to stop smiling.

"Don't get too over-excited. It could lead us to another dead end." Kevin commented. Robin looked at him for a second, and then threw her head up in a high manner, huffing. "I refuse to think so negatively." He sighed at her retort and continued to speak. "I just don't want you to be too disappointed if you don't find anything." Robin looked at him slightly confused, but then smiled and simply stated. "You worry to much."

The train began to slow down as it neared the station. Finally it came to a sudden halt and hissed as the engines were turned off. "Finally!" Robin exclaimed, filled with glee. "We're at last! Come on Kevin, help get the luggage down." Robin basically flung herself from the train seat and went to open the compartment that all of their stuff was stored in.

When they had finished getting all of their stuff down they made their way to the exit. Which increasingly became harder as everyone was bustling to get out. It quickly escalated into a frenzy as people started to shove and push their way through the crowd. "Man, Why is everyone in such a hurry to get off?" Kevin asked, a little confused at all chaos that was ensuing.

Finally they were able to beat the crowd and make their way off the train and unto a station platform. However, what they were faced with was anything but easy walking. The station was ten times, no, a hundred times worse then the train. People could be spotted in every direction and angle. There wasn't wasn't a spot in the station that didn't have a citizen present at. "Good luck making your way through that horrible nightmare." Kevin jumped at the unfamiliar voice and turned around to find The train conductor rolling his eyes before closing the doors and heading back to his post. Kevin turned back to see what Robin's reaction was to the dangerous jungle of people they were faced with. Robin of course was not discouraged, in fact she had a look of fierce determination, and he swore that he could almost see flames burning in her eyes. He quickly realized that he would have to enter the cluster of people waiting for him. Although knowing Robin, they wouldn't stop until they had finally made it to the exit. Even if that meant breaking some bones. There was nothing that could keep Robin from her goals. And as Kevin had predicted, they had successfully pushed their way out of the station.

Central itself wasn't as bad as the Train station, but it was still crowded with tons of people. It was a little strange though, it was almost like people were celebrating, but celebrating what exactly? But she couldn't worry herself with that at the moment. First she had to check into a hotel, and after that she was going to head over to the command center and get the information that she had been so desperately searching for. She didn't have time to question all of the people dancing in the streets and putting up decorations.

"What do you think is going on here?" Robin turned to find Kevin examining the area with that glint of curiosity showing in his eyes. "Focus Kevin," She began. "We don't have time for parties. We need to stay focused on what we came here for, remember?" She grabbed his arm and tried to pry herself from the crowd and into a hotel. Kevin's eyes slowly faded into slight disappointment (No doubt he was dying to know what was going on), but made no attempts to break free from her tight grasp.

Eventually they were able to located a hotel, and quickly made their way to the doors, hoping to finally rid themselves of the happy citizens. unfortunately, as they entered the building they were faced with ye another crowd of people. All happy, and all talking about something big that was going to happen. Robin tried to calm herself and played no heed to their lowly gossip. She trudged over to the never ending line of people standing in front of the check in counter, all waiting to get a room. "Well, I guess it's good that we got all of that rest on the train." Kevin started. "At least we know our feet will be able to last the line." Robin sighed knowing that she was going to have to prepare herself for waiting at least an hour. Well at least she hoped it would only last an hour. And she wanted to go and find more clues to her past. 'Oh well, I guess it'll just have to wait.' She murmured as she entered the line.

* * *

 

"Suling, please, just stop! You have singing the same stupid old tune for an entire hour now!"

"I was just trying to brighten the mood a bit Xiao." Suling cried.

"We are at a party, Suling, It couldn't possibly get and brighter." He retorted sarcastically.

"Yea I know, but It's just not the same without Ting."

"You're such a baby Sue. You can't go a single day without being by her side. Honestly, you're 12 years old, and it's time you grew up." He continued to pester her until the man that had been patiently walking in front of the two teenagers finally turned around ready to break them apart. "Xiaoli, stop picking on your little sister. You two are both becoming young adults, so act like it." The two quickly became silent, startled by their father's sudden and unexpected outburst.

Xiaoli, daring to make a move, continued to speak. "Gee dad, why are you so tense? It's not like you."

The man sighed and tried to calm himself. "I'm sorry guy, I'm just a little stressed out. This whole thing has turned out bigger than I expected."

"Don't worry about it daddy. You've done all you can. It's time to step back, relax, and have some fun." Suling said, reassuring her father that it was all going to turn out great. Although she could tell that he was still feeling conflicted on the inside, and she knew that he would rather be anywhere else but here in Central. She was just hoping that he would feel better after this whole ordeal was over and dealt with.

"ALPHONSE!" The family all turned towards the voice, and Far in the distance they were able to make out the figure that was calling them. The man suddenly went from stressed to joyful as he identified the man. "Edward!" He called out as he ran towards his brother, his children quickly following behind.


	5. Chapter 5

_**\- Chapter 5** _

Reunion

"Edward!" Alphonse exclaimed in glee as he ran towards his brother. Stopping right in front of him, he captured his brother in a hug that would probably suffocate any other man. "A-al I c-can't b-breathe." Edward said, suffocating under Al's strong arms. Feeling flushed Al quickly let his brother go, letting him breathe again. "Sorry Ed," Al started. "I just haven't seen you for three years. I missed you." Edward chuckled and replied. "I missed you too man."

"Uncle Ed!" Suling, who had been patiently standing behind her father, talked her uncle to the ground. "Whoa there girl," He said, sitting back up. "Wow, you guys sure have grown since the last time I saw you." He said, looking at his niece and nephew. Edward pulled himself of the ground and back on his feet, and then turned to look at his brother. He smirked and said. "And I heard that there has been a new addition to the family since you've been gone. So, where is the little guy?"

"He is with May right now." Alphonse replied with a smile.

"Seriously?" Edward sighed. "And I was looking forward to meeting my new little nephew. From what I heard he looks just like you."

But before Alphonse could reply a sweet voice broke the conversation. "Alphonse!" They all turned to find a young woman with long blonde hair cascading down her back, and blue eyes that put the vast oceans to shame. She was standing beside a young man whose features resembled Edward's exquisitely, except his face seemed a lot more gentle and calm and his hair was cut short. On the other side of the woman stood a small teenage girl, who as well resembled her father in almost every way, but her hair was also cut short, but it was a little longer than her brother's hair.

"Winry, Cyrus, Hadley, It's nice to see you all again." Alphonse said, excited to be reunited with his family. "Hadley!" Suling screeched as she ran towards her cousin. She captured Hadley in a big hug and smiled brightly. "Hey Sue, I see you haven't changed at all." Hadley said, flashing Sue her signature smirk.

The family smiled at the two girls who were so close that they referred to themselves as sisters instead of cousins. "So," Winry spoke up. "Should we go and take our seats. It seems like the event is going to start any minute now." Edward glanced over to where people were supposed to be seated. "Sure, if we can find any available seats." He sighed in awe at the number of people that were there. "Don't worry about it Ed, Ling already reserved seats for the whole family" Al replied with a certain proudness in his voice, but if you looked close enough you could see the envy in his eyes, and it wasn't just because of the fact that Ling had that power, no, that had absolutely nothing to do with the wretched envious feeling inside of him. Alphonse was more envious of what or rather who Ling had.

"That's great!" Winry exclaimed, most likely glad that she wouldn't have to fight of a bunch of strangers for seats. "Man, it sure is great having the emperor as your brother-in-law." Edward added as they left to take their seats.

* * *

 

It was an hour before Robin and Kevin were able to get a room and put their stuff away. Unfortunately all of the rooms with two beds were already booked. So, they had to settle for a one bedroom suite. Robin had to admit that she was a little nervous about sharing the same bed with Kevin, but then she remembered that they had sleeping bags, and that Kevin would just have to sleep on the floor. Although he didn't seem to mind. As long as Robin was happy so was he.

Robin dumped all of her stuff on the floor and was gone before Kevin even walked into the room. He could tell how excited she was about finally finding a lead to discovering who she was. So he just started to unpack everything with a smile and settled down with a good book.

Robin flung herself out into the horrifying crowd of citizens, keeping those records in her mind as a motivator, and with that she was able to move through the crowd with ease. It did help that there wasn't as many people around as there was before. For a second she pondered the sudden decrease in people on the street, but quickly pushed it aside as she had more important matters to deal with.

She finally arrived at central command after about twenty minutes of walking. She quickly opened the doors and basically ran all the way up to the desk. The lady who was working there looked at Robin with a worried expression and simply asked. "May I help you miss?" Robin tried to catch her breath before looking up at the lady who looked to be in her mid-twenties. Finally, having enough energy to speak again, she asked, "Is it true that you have records of every person who has ever been reported missing!?"

"Um, yes miss, that's true." The lady said, still a little confused about the whole situation. "Would you mind if I could take a look at them?" She asked, filled with anticipation.

"All of them?"

"No, not all of them. Just the ones from 1920 to now."

"Alright, I'll see if I can find them for you. Please wait here."

"Oh thank you so much!"

The lady went to the back and ruffled through some cabinets and files, and put together a list of every single person that had been reported missing for the last 22 years, and handed them to Robin. Robin took the files and again thanked the lady for her help. She sat down at one of the tables and started to go through the list. She had spent well over an hour going through the files, and not a single one of the people she found seemed familiar to her. Then she stumbled across a file that seemed almost nostalgic in a way. On the paper she found a picture of a small girl who looked to be 5 or 6 years old, with short blonde hair and beautiful sky blue eyes. At the bottom of the picture was a small paragraph that read 'Trisha Elric, reported lost on the 9th of July, 1924 at 4:52pm please call (385)728-9103 if found'

Robin wasn't sure why this girl felt so familiar. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, while Robin had Red hair and Brown eyes. They didn't look remotely similar in any way. And then as fast as the feeling had come, it was gone. As if the familiarity had just been a phantom mist. Not being able to recognize her at all or any other person on the list for that matter, she finally gave up.

She gathered all of the papers together and went back up to the desk to return them to the lady, but when she got to the desk she found that the lady was sitting by the radio, intensely listing to a broadcast. "Um, excuse me miss?" The lady quickly looked away from the radio and turned her eyes towards Robin. "Oh, I'm sorry I was just listening to the royal broadcast." She said a little embarrassed that she hadn't noticed her coming up to her desk. Robin just disregarded the whole thing and handed her the files. "I'm finished."

"Oh, well did you find what you were looking for?" She asked taking the papers.

"Unfortunately no." Robin replied with heavy disappointment.

"What was that broadcast you were listing to?" Robin asked, somehow hoping that what she was listing to would cheer her up. It sure seemed interesting to her. "Oh I was just listening to the royal broadcast, you know since I have to be here at work I can't exactly go and see it, so I guess listening to it will have to do."

"The Royal Broadcast?" Robin asked not sure what she was talking about. Then the lady looked at her like she had lost her mind. "You don't know about the royal event happening here in Central right now?"

"Royal Event? Is that why there were so many people in the city this morning?"

"Wow you really don't know what's going on?"

"Obviously."

"Well you see the emperor's daughter is here in Central right now announcing her graduation as princess. It's this huge event and everybody is there. Except for me, I have to work." She said the last part with a loathing tone. "Wait a second." Robin started, "Why would the emperor and his daughter come to Amestris for something that has absolutely nothing to do with us?"

"I'm not sure, but some people say that they have family that lives here."

Once again Robin found that the information she had gained was useless. She had learned absolutely nothing, and she was on the brink of crashing down and giving up, but she knew that that wasn't an option. She had to keep going. Even if she travels throughout all of Amestris and still come out with nothing, she was not going to give up so easily. "I see, well, thank you for all your help." And before the lady could reply Robin was already out the door.

It had gotten late and she was about to head back to the hotel when she spotted a small dinner. It was a cute little place, and it reminded her a lot of the run down old pub in New Optain. And as if her stomach could read her mind it made a grumbling noise which told her that she hadn't eaten all day. Not wanting to eat the crappy hotel food, she decided to go in.

As she opened the door a small golden bell rung above the opening. She was welcomed by a cute teenage girl behind the counter. "Welcome to Penny's Diner." She said with a smile. Robin smiled back and made her way to an empty booth. The young girl made her way over to the booth and took out a pen and notebook ready to take my order. "What may I interest you in today?"

Robin looked over the menu before making her decision. "Um, I'll have the chicken sandwich along with a giant chocolate shake."

"Is that all for today?"

"Yes, that'll be it."

And with that the waitress was gone. She came back a couple minutes later with Robins order and left to take care of another customer.

As Robin ate she pondered about her next move. She thought about going back to New Optain and heading south from there, but then again she could just skip the long trip and head straight south now. Her train of thought was broken as she heard the bell to the restaurant ring. She looked up to see two people enter. One was a young man with jet black hair and dark blue eyes that almost seemed black. And the other was a young, short, teenage girl with short golden hair and eyes just as golden. She didn't take much attention to them, after all they were just two strangers looking for a meal. Little did Robin know that this encounter would be the result of an all out war.


	6. Diner

_**\- Chapter 6** _

Diner

The little golden bell above the diner's door rings as Xiaoli and Hadley enter. Penny's Diner was a favorite of Hadley's. She loved coming here every time her family visited Central. She absolutely loved the food, one of the waitresses was a good friend of hers, and it was pretty cute on the inside. She looked over to see her cousin scowl at the place. Most likely because he didn't even want to come, but Hadley had forced him to. She would have come with Sue, but she wanted to see Ting right after the celebration. She probably would have wanted to see her sister too if she had been gone for so long.

"Welcome to Penny's Diner." Hadley looked up to find Charlotte giving her a bright and polite smile. Hadley let the corners of her mouth turn as she smiled and said. "Charlotte! It's been forever." She ran up to her friend and gave her a big hug. "Hi Hadley, it's so good to see you again, how are things?" Charlotte giggled, as she untangled herself from Hadley's arms. "Good, I guess."

"I heard that you and your mom have spent a lot of time down south. Is that true?"

"Yea, mom's business is really taking off, and I'm just there to give her a hand. I mean after all, the Rockbell workshop will be mine some day."

"Rockbell? I thought your mom would have changed the name after she married."

"Nah, she said it reminded her of her Grandmother and parents. So she just kept the name."

"Uggh, why do girls talk so much, it's annoying." Charlotte and Hadley looked up to find a bored Xiao rolling his eyes sarcastically. "And who might this be?" Charlotte asked, a little intrigued by the handsome young man. Hadley giggled at the flirtatious tone in her voice. "This is my cousin, Xiaoli. Xiaoi, This is my friend Charlotte." Hadley replied, gesturing to each of them. "It's a pleasure to meet you Xiao." She said holding her hand out to shake his. Xiaoli looked at the hand for a second before huffing and turning away. "Aren't we a little grumpy today." She said in a playful tone. Hadley rolled her eyes. "Oh he is just mad that I had to drag him all the way down here. I wouldn't take it personally. He's just very stubborn." Both of the girls giggled and Xiao just rolled his eyes, when suddenly he was captured by one of the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on.

Without a single word he made his way towards the booth she was sitting in. Hadley and Charlotte stop giggling when they noticed that Xaio wasn't even listening anymore, in fact he just started to walk away from them. When they looked over to see what he thought could be more important then them, they noticed that he was making his way to a young girl who was sitting by herself in a booth finishing her chocolate shake.

They took a second to look at each other with a mischievous, but hopeless grin. "There he goes. I swear that guy falls for every pretty girl he sees." Hadley said looking at her hopeless cousin. "Oh like you don't do the same?" Charlotte retorted. "Every time you see a cute boy you never hesitate to walk up to him and flirt." Hadley blushed a little at Charlotte's accusation, but quickly brushed it off. "I have no clue what you're talking about." Hadley huffed in denial. "Yeah ok, Hey listen I have to get back to work, so I'll see you later." With that Charlotte scurried back off to work, and Hadley followed after his cousin.

Xaioli reached the booth and smoothly slid into the booth, sitting across from her. Robin quickly looked up, just noticing them. Then she realized that it was the same boy that walked in just a minute ago. He looked at her with flirtatious eyes, and she knew exactly what was coming next. "Hi there, the names Xaioli, but you can call me the man you've been waiting for." But before Robin could backfire a retort, a second person slid into the booth sitting next to Xaioli. Robin then realized that it was the same girl that had entered with the boy.

"Hi there, my names Hadley Elric, and this guy is my cousin Xaioli." She spoke up, gesturing to her cousin who was now scowling at her for the rude interruption. Hadley however completely disregarded it. "So," She continued. "Whats your name?" Robin had to admit that she was a bit shocked at the sudden formality of the girl, but answered the question anyway. "Robin, Robin Scott."

"Well miss Scott it's a pleasure to meet you. Do you live here in Central or are you just visiting?"

This girl sure was nosey, but it was kind of nice to have someone else to talk to, not that Kevin wasn't great company, but this was a girl, so it was different. "No, I live up North in a small town called Mebbo."

"Wow you live up north? It must get pretty cold there huh?"

"I guess, but when you live there as long as I do then you get kind of used to it."

"How long have you lived up there?"

"For a while now, 13 years I think."

"Wow, and how old are you?"

"18."

"You're 18?" Xaioli asked interrupting the conversation. Robin nodded. "Yes, why, is that bad?"

"No, it's just you look kind of young to be 18 years old."

"Really? Well, I'll admit I'm kind of short but I really am 18, I think." She said the last part with a little doubt in her mind. After all she didn't know exactly when she was born. It was just a guess. For all she knew she could be 16 or 20 for that matter. Hadley and Xaio looked at her a little confused. "What do you mean you think?" Hadley asked. "Well, you see," Robin started.

" I don't know exactly when I was born. The truth is tat I'm adopted."

"You're Adopted?" Hadley asked in disbelief.

"Yea, my mother found me lying out in the cold wind and took me in. It was lucky that she found me. If I had been out there any longer, I probably would have died from the cold."

"Wow, That's incredible." Hadley expressed with twinkly eyes. No doubt she was amazed and intrigued in her story, which Robin found was quite strange. Why would she be so interested in her life. They had only just met.

"So, What brings you to Central?" Xaioli asked.

"Well, I'm actually on a journey."

"A journey? What kind of journey?" Hadley asked, insisting that she continued.

"I'm traveling all of Amestris in hopes of finding my real parents, or any clues at all that could tell me about my past."

"That's really cool, where are you heading next?"

Robin thought for a while. That's exactly what she had tried to figure out while she was here. "The south I guess." She said, answering her own question.

"Well it's definitely warm there so I'm sure you'll enjoy it." Hadley replied with a smile. Then the chime of the bell swept over their ears, signaling that someone had either left or entered the diner.

They all turned to the door, only to find a tall young man with golden hair and matching eyes. He scanned the place before his eyes landed on the small group. He walked up to them and simply said. "Come on guys it's time to go. Fathers waiting for us at the hotel, Hadley." His voice was sweet and almost melodic in a way. "It's already time to go?" Hadley asked, a little disappointed that she had to leave her new friend so soon. "I'm sorry Hadley, but father said that he wanted you back by 5:00pm, and it's 4:48pm."

"Oh well," Hadley sighed. "I guess it can't be helped." Hadley slid out of the booth with Xaioli following close behind. Robin quickly pulled out some money, placed it on the table and followed suite.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Robin." Hadley said shaking her hand and giving Robin her signature smirk.

"Maybe I'll see you again someday."

Robin smiled at her new friend. "I hope we do.

"Come on Hadley, we have to go." Cyrus said trying to get back to the hotel on time, so that his father didn't have an aneurism. "Wait a second!" Hadley exclaimed as she realized something. "You haven't met my brother." Hadley said pulling Cyrus up in front to face Robin. "Hadley." Cyrus said looking at her with anxious eyes. "Oh we have time. Robin this is my older brother Cyrus Elric, He's 19." She said the last part in a whisper and a wink. " And Cyrus, this is y new friend Robin Scott." Cyrus looked down at his little sister, and she shot him a stare that screamed 'just say hi'. Cyrus rolled his eyes knowing that she wasn't leaving until he did what she asked.

"it's a pleasure to meet you Miss Scott." He said holding out his hand.

"The pleasures all mine." Robin replied as she took his hand.

Then as if the world had suddenly stopped. Cyrus felt as if he was being dragged into her soul. Almost as if something was pulling him. it was tearing away at him, and it felt like it was trying to pull him all the way in, either that or it was trying to pull itself out. And when he looked into Robins eyes he saw that they weren't brown anymore, but instead a soft and bright blue, but then it quickly faded into a blood red color. A familiar feeling crept it's way into his heart and soul. Like the presence of a person he knew a long time ago. and just like her eyes the feeling quickly turned from sweet to dreadful sorrow and guilt.

He violently pulled his hand away from her grip panting hard. Little had he known that all of this had happened in a split second. The strangest part about it was that nobody else seemed to notice it. They all looked at him like he was crazy.

"Cyrus?...Are..are you okay?" Hadley asked, concerned about her brothers odd reaction. Cyrus quickly looked over to his little sister, hopping to see some sign that everything that just happened was just a hallucination. unfortunately the look that he received from her told him otherwise. "Cyrus?" She said again, more concern weaving it's way through her words. Cyrus tried to calm himself. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said finally getting a grip on reality.

He looked back to Robin who was just as confused as everyone else. He was almost expecting to see someone else, but it was the same brown eyed red haired girl he had met just a few minutes ago.

Robin, who was starting to feel a little awkward at the situation, decided to leave. "I guess I'll be going then. See ya later." Robin started to leave when all of a sudden her body lost control. She quickly turned on her heels and forcefully grabbed Cyrus' arm, and held it tight.

Everyone quickly turned their confused and concerned looks towards Robin. She quickly realized what had happened and set Cyrus' arm free from her grasp. She blushed furiously at her odd behavior. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I just... I'm sorry." And before anyone could say anything she was out the door and running back to the hotel.

Cyrus was left dumbfounded. That presence he had felt. It was something evil and terrifying, that's for sure, but there was something else. Almost like a person. Yes, he was certain now. The sweet and desperate presence that he had felt could be no one else, but his lost little sister, Trisha Elric.


	7. Confide

_**\- Chapter 7** _

Confide

The walk back to the hotel was quite unsettling for the elric group. It certainly had been an interesting day, with the big party, and happy reunion. Although the freak incident at the diner had mostly everyone confused. Especially Cyrus. This 'Robin Scott' Who he has never met let alone seen before seems to have the same presence and aura as his little sister Trisha. But how was that even possible? Trisha has been lost for 13 years now, and Robin didn't resemble her in the slightest detail. It made his head spin like crazy. But what was even more unsettling than that, had to be the evil aura he felt aswell. It was a horrible feeling. It was like all the burdens of the world were pressing down on his shoulder. The feeling of guilt and sorrow was overwhelming. It felt like it had torn his insides apart. Could something so detestfull and horrid be evolved in his sweet little sisters life. Then again he didn't even know if Trisha was alive or not. Then why? What could this girl possibly have to do with Trisha? Then he thought about how Robin had turned around and grabbed his arm. That was definitely unusual. The feeling that he had gotten when she took a hold of him was almost the same, except for this time it was like a desperate call. Was she calling out for him? Did she want him to follow? The more he thought about it the more confused he became.

"Hey, Cyrus?" Cyrus quickly snapped out of his thoughts as reality came crashing back down on him. He looked down to where his little sister stood. Her eyes filled with concern and confusion. "Are you sure you're ok, you seem a little off. Did that thing at the diner worry you?" Cyrus didn't want Hadley to worry about him, and he couldn't tell her about what had really happened. So, he just put on his best poker face and said. "It's okay Hadley, I'm just a little tired. It's been a long day. All I need is a good nights sleep and I'll be fine."

Hadley wasn't quite convinced yet. She knew that there was something bigger to the equation, but for the sake of her brother's sanity, she just let it go.

By this time they had reached the hotel entrance. Before they went in they took a moment to stare in amazement at the gigantic five star hotel. "Can you believe that were staying here?" Hadley said, breathing in the fresh scent of luxury. "You don't honestly expect me to sleep in any other run down hotel, do you? Just because you poor people don't care about your personal needs doesn't mean I don't have to." Xaioli retorted as he continued through the entrance and disappeared.

Hadley huffed at the arrogant 17-year-old teenage boy. "Can you believe him, I swear someday he will be out on the street begging for food wondering where all of his fancy money went!" Cyrus relaxed for the first time that afternoon as he watched his little sister rant on about how insensitive their cousin was. "Come on Hadley, you know that his life isn't as easy as ours, and that's just the way he was raised." Cyrus said trying to reason with her. Hadley huffed and retorted. "That still doesn't give him an excuse to act like a spoiled brat."

"You know he just does it to get under your skin."

"Yeah I know, but-"

"Come on Hadley, let's go inside."

And with that the two siblings walked into the beautiful grand hotel.

On the way up to the room, Cyrus kept replaying the situation over and over in his mind. He figured that there had to be someone he could talk to about this. He couldn't go to his father. he would probably get angry or overjoyed that his missing daughter might still be out there somewhere. His mother wouldn't be much help either. She would probably either just get angry and tell him to forget about it, or she would probably break down in tears for the very mention of her little girl. He thought about talking to his uncle Alphonse, but he would most likely react the same way his father would, or he would try to explain it scientifically, which would just confuse him even more. there was only one person that he could think of that would be able to help him explain this whole ordeal, and that was his cousin Ting.

As the elevator came to a stop, Cyrus and Hadley exited and headed towards the suite that they would be staying in for the night. When they reached the room they used the key to unlock the door, and as Cyrus was opening the door his father flung it wide open, pushed Cyrus to the side and embraced his youngest daughter in a giant protective hug.

"D-ad, I-I can't..breath." Hadley managed to choke out. When Edward realized that he was suffocating his daughter, he quickly released her, but he didn't let her go. He firmly placed his hands on her shoulder and looked deep into her eyes. "Are you crazy?" He yelled. "You were supposed to be home half an hour ago. Where on earth have you been?!" Cyrus hadn't noticed the extra time they had pent at the diner, plus the slow and awkward walk home.

Hadley frowned at her father's sudden outburst. "Would you calm down dad, It's just 30 minutes. When are going to stop treating me like a child? You know I can take care of myself perfectly fine. Besides it's not like I was alone. Cyrus was there and so was Xaio." Edward removed his hands from her shoulders and turned his gaze to his son, and gave him a stern look. Cyrus froze. He knew this wasn't going to be good. "You were supposed to have her back here 30 minutes ago! What happened?!"

"Nothing happened, we just met some nice people at the diner and they manage to take up more time than expected, that's all." Cyrus began explaining holding his hands up in defense of his brutal father. "Hadley, Cyrus?" Winry appeared in the doorway with a worried look on her face. "Where have you been?" Hadley rolled her eyes as she began to explain once more why they were late. "Don't worry mom, we just met up with some friends, we are fine."

"Oh good, you had me and your father worried." Winry gestured for everyone to come in, freeing Cyrus from a long lecture that his dad was most likely holding in.

"Hey mom, Do you know if Ting is back yet?" Cyrus asked, hoping that he would be able to go over and talk a little about all of his concerns. She looked over at him a little confused at first, but knowing how close the two were quickly understood. "Yes she's here, in suite 503. It's actually right next door."

"Do you think anyone would mind if I talked to her for a while?" Winry smiled and said "No sweetheart, I think you'll be fine." and with that in mind, Cyrus left Hadley to deal with their paranoid father as he went next door.

He knocked a few times before His Aunt May answered the door, carrying baby Benjamin in her arms. "Cyrus, it's nice to see you." She said with a smile while hugging him. "You wouldn't happen to be here to see Ting would you?" She could read him like a book. Of course she knew that he was here to see Ting. Everyone already knew that he and the princess were very close to each other. Whenever one of them had a problem they would always go to the other for help.

"Is she here right now?"

"Yes, she's here. Come in."

They entered the suite and he was amazed at the sheer size of it. It was definitely fit for a king. "Ting, sweetie, Cyrus is here." and before another word could be said, a girl with long straight black hair and eyes as golden as the sun ran into Cyrus' arms in a giant hug. "Cyrus, oh it's so wonderful to see you again! I didn't think I would see you until tomorrow night in Resembool." May left the two alone as Cyrus tried to untangle himself from Ting's arms. "It's good to see you too cous." He replied with a gentle smile. "I just had some important things to talk about, and it couldn't wait." Cyrus plastered a serious look on his face, telling Ting that this was important. "I see." Was all she said before taking him back to her room.

They sat down on the silk red couch in her room. "Okay Cyrus, what's going on?" She asked with the same serious tone in her voice. Cyrus took a deep breath and began. "Well you see, it all started when I went to pick up Hadley from the diner..."

Cyrus continued to tell Ting about everything that had happened that afternoon. Ting listened intently and tried to understand and make sense of everything he was telling her.

"I haven't told anyone yet about what happened. You were the only one I knew who wouldn't freak out at the news, and I knew that you would try to figure it out with me aswell." They sat in a moment of silence as Ting tried to process everything that was happening.

"Well, it is possible that part of Trisha's soul could be hidden inside of this girl's body, trying to figure out a way to get out." Ting suggested, finally breaking the silence. "Are you saying that Trisha's soul id still alive, but just hidden in someone else?"

"I'm not quite sure now Cyrus, It could be possible that all of it was just a bit of hallucinations and coincidences, but-"

"But..."

"But that's even more unlikely considering the evidence."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

Ting thought for a moment as she tried to contemplate on whether she should tell someone or not. "Well," She started. "I think you should keep it to yourself for now. We don't want anyone to freak out or take any unnecessary action. Okay?" Cyrus nodded in agreement knowing that whatever Ting had planned was probably the best plan. "I will speak with my father and see what he thinks. He is probably the least likely to make a big deal of this, and he will be able to think with a clear head and figure out a solution to this whole ordeal." Ting said making her last decision.

"Sounds great Ting."

With that they shared a few laughs and stories, and talked about the last 3 years apart before Cyrus left to go back to his family for dinner.

Cyrus was comfortable knowing that Ting would be able to fix what was going on. And who knows, maybe Ting was right. Could Trisha still be alive out there, and if she was, would they be able to find a way to bring her back. Cyrus wasn't sure yet, but he knew one thing for sure. He could always count on his cousin Ting to fix every problem he had.


	8. Home

_**\- Chapter 8** _

Home

Cyrus woke up the next morning to the wretched sound of his alarm clock. Tossed around in his bed, uncomfortable with the ringing sound drilling it's way through his ears. Giving up on trying to block the sound out, he turned towards the clock, turned it off, and turned his gaze towards the numbers. 7:30am it read. Cyrus sighed and slowly sat up in his bed. He flung the sheets of his body, letting the cool air sting his warm skin for a second before adjusting to the temperature. He slowly dragged himself towards the window, and with one tug, opened the curtains. He let the dazzling sun embrace him in a warm blanket of light as he stretched out his arms and lower back, while slowly inhaling the sweet smell of morning. Even the sound of that wretched alarm clock couldn't ruin this day.

He felt rejuvenated in some ways, and he wasn't quite sure why. Maybe it was because he was able to see his relatives the other day for the first time in three years, or it could be the fact that he was able to have some personal talk time with his cousin last night, or maybe it was just simply the fresh scent of lemon and pine that filled the room. Whatever it was he was determined to hold onto that feeling for the whole day.

He turned from the window and slowly made his way to the black suitcase that was lying on the floor, clothes neatly folded inside along with his other necessities. He smiled proudly at the beautifully organized bag. He quickly grabbed some jeans and a dull orange v neck, and quickly got dressed. He was grabbing everything that was his in the room and neatly placed it inside the bag when he heard a gentle knocking emanating from the door.

"Cyrus, Are you up?" A sweet voice came from the other side and Cyrus new immediately who it was.

"Yes mother, I'm just packing up some things real quick."

"Oh alright, why don't you come out for breakfast as soon as you're done."

"Alright, just give me a second."

And with that Winry left the door and went to finish preparing the food. Cyrus quickly, but neatly, finished putting all of his stuff away, which to be honest wasn't that much. He picked up his suitcase, opened the door, and headed into the kitchen/living room. He was greeted by the fresh smell of bacon and biscuits. He placed his suitcase down on the couch and headed over to the table and sat down next to his father, who was quietly drinking his morning coffee.

"Good morning father." Cyrus said, acknowledging his dad.

"Good morning son."

"So, where's Hadley?" He asked, his eyes browsing the suite for his baby sister. "She is still packing up her things." Winry replied while placing two big plates on the table. One containg bacon strips & eggs, and the other containg biscuits. She then proceeded to place a container of butter next to the plates, along with a butter knife.

"Sweetheart, can you be a dear and go fetch your sister?" Winry asked, taking her place next to Ed.

Cyrus rose from his chair and swiftly made his way to his sister's room.

"Hey Hadley, breakfast is ready." He announced knocking on the door a couple times. He waited for a response, and when he didn't get one he reached for the door knob, but before he could open the door, it had already been flung opened by his sister. She stood in the door way wearing short jeans, and a pink T-shirt, while carrying her own suitcase.

"Breakfast is ready." He said, stepping away from the door so to give her a little space.

"Awesome, let me just put my stuff down."

With that they proceeded to make their way to the living room/kitchen. Hadley put down her bag on the couch next to her brother's bag, and then joined the rest of her family for breakfast.

As the family ate Hadley began to tell them about what had happened in the diner the other night.

"So the girl holds out her hand for Cyrus to shake, and what happens next was totally…"

"Normal!" Cyrus exclaimed, butting into Hadley's conversation. Hadley looked over to her brother, a little confused at his outburst. He gave her a look that said 'they don't need to know'. Luckily Hadley understood, and being the loyal sister she was, took her brother's side. "I wouldn't exactly call being sprayed with ketchup normal, Cyrus."

"Ketchup?" Winry asked, a little concerned. "But you were perfectly clean when you came home."

"Oh no, it wasn't Cyrus that got sprayed. It was the other girl. Charlotte was trying to unclog a ketchup bottle, and the whole thing just exploded all over her." Hadley quickly replied with another lie.

Winry and Edward just looked at their children a little baffled at the story. "Oh the poor girl, was she fine?" Winry asked, completely buying it.

"Oh yeah, she was fine. She just went home to get a change of clothes. Nothing horrible happened."

Cyrus sighed in relief, thinking back on what Ting had told him the other night. She had told him to keep the whole thing to himself until she could talk with her father, and hopefully try to figure this whole thing out. He was just lucky that Hadley was able to quickly come up with a believable lie. Boy was he lucky to have such a loyal and understanding sister.

As soon as they finished up their food they cleaned everything up and packed up some last minute things. They grabbed their bags and headed next door to where Alphonse and his family was. After everyone was gathered they headed down to the train station, well everyone except for Ting and the emperor. They still had some business to take care of before they could leave. So they would be catching a later train.

Cyrus felt more at ease now that he knew Hadley wasn't going to go and blab about everything that happened that night. They all boarded the train and found two empty compartments and settled down for the long ride home. It was right at that moment when he remembered something very crucial about that night. Xaioli had been there with them the entire time. What if he had told his mom or dad. Cyrus peeked over to the next compartment and found Xaio staring out a window with his elbow perched on the windowsill and his chin resting in the palm of his hand. He looked utterly bored out of his mind. That of course didn't really surprise him.

Nothing seemed out of place, and his aunt and uncle were happily conversing with his cousin Sue. Cyrus could safely assume that Xaioli hadn't said a thing about the diner. Typical Xaio, shutting everyone out from his life. Of course he hadn't told his parents. Xaio wasn't that kind of person. He would rather jump of a cliff then sit down and have a meaningful conversation with his family. He never talked to anybody, and when he did nothing pleasant came out.

Usually Cyrus would be against his silent demeanor. He would try to talk to him or attempt to get him to open up a bit. He knew it wasn't healthy to shut yourself up like that, and he didn't want his cousin to be some sort of social outcast, but every time Cyrus would approach him or try to say anything, He would simply wave his hand in his face and say "I hate you." Yes, those were the exact words that he would use. I kind of hurt at first, but Cyrus eventually grew accustomed to it. Of course that still didn't make it any easier.

Cyrus was never quite sure why his cousin hated him, but he had been told that it had something to do with the fact that he bore a deep resemblance to his father. Although that didn't really make any sense to him.

All Cyrus knew was that Xaioli was a very negative and angry person. Which Cyrus knew was a very bad and unhealthy way to live. Then again, Xaio seemed to like it this way.

This time however, Cyrus was glad that he had kept his mouth shut. It would be bad if everyone started to rise up in panic and confusion. But what did he have to worry about, really? He knew how dependable and smart Ting was. Surly she would make sure that panic was not necessary. Then again it's not like she was superman.

Cyrus sighed deeply and slumped back in his seat. There was no use in worrying about it now. So he just relaxed and slowly drifted off into a soft slumber.

The train finally came to a stop after what seemed like forever. They had all been on that train for seven hours and everyone was exhausted, but it was only 4:00pm in the afternoon.

They gathered their stuff and stepped onto the train station platform. Cyrus stretched out his arms and took in a deep breath, inhaling that sweet smell of spring in Resembool. Home sweet home, Cyrus thought as they headed down the dirt trail.


	9. Father

_**\- Chapter 9** _

Father

Ting kept replaying the conversation that she and Cyrus had had and was pondering about it all the way to the train station. Six hours had passed since her cousin and the rest of the family had headed home. And now that everything she had to take care of was dealt with, she was well on her way to the train station to catch the next train to Resembool. She was going there on her own. The emperor had to head back to Xing already. I mean you don't want your ruler to be absent for too long. No one could tell she was the princess unless you were really looking. She was wearing no make-up, fancy kimonos, or a shiny crown. In fact you could say she looked like an everyday ordinary girl, which for her was a nice change.

She quickly purchased a ticket and boarded the next train. She threw her luggage onto the net above her and plopped down into the empty compartment. She let her muscles relax as she leaned against the window. It was nice to finally take a break from all the noise and publicity.

She was hoping to get some sleep on the train, but the thought of her cousin still alive, roaming Amestris was keeping her awake. Cyrus had told her that he didn't actually see Trisha in person, but that he felt a great force as well as her aura. And then he had said something else that troubled her. He had felt a great evil within this girl, and that really got her thinking. What if Trisha was being held captive by an evil force or maybe it was Trisha's own soul that had been tainted black with dark emotions. If only she had been there herself. If only she could have felt what Cyrus had felt. That would definitely help her understand the situation a whole lot more, but she hadn't been there and nothing can change that. She only has Cyrus' word, and the truth is that that's not a lot to go on.

It's been fairly difficult to explain the bizarre event, but Cyrus said that he had felt something. So, she was just going to have to trust him. Besides she wasn't too worried. Her father would know what to do. She was sure that he would be able to explain this whole mess. With that in mind Ting was finally able to subdue herself to a good long rest.

Ting woke up to the roaring sound of the engine and the sudden halt. She looked around, and for a second everything was black, but then her eyes slowly adjusted. She realized that the darkness was due to the late time. It looked to be around 10 or 11 at night. It was then that she noticed a sign on the platform that said Resembool.

Oh no, she had slept way to long. If she didn't hurry she wasn't going to be able to make it off the train on time. She flung herself out of her seat, grabbed her bags, and quickly scurried to the exit. Just in time too. The doors were almost closed by the time she got there, and she was just barely able to squeeze her way out. These are the times that she is grateful for her petite form.

The sound of the train gradually faded away as it departed the station. She watched the train slowly disappear into the distant. Eventually the darkness engulfed the train and all she could see were tracks running on for miles.

She took a deep breath of the fresh and cool night air before grabbing her stuff and heading down the same dirt road that Cyrus and his family had taken just earlier this afternoon.

It felt nice to be back in Resembool again. She hadn't seen this place in three years. Her family usually visit once every year to catch up with the relatives, but her busy schedule had prevented her from coming until now. She had been going through insane princess training these last few years, and it was all for her graduation on the 7th of this March. The day she became a woman. Her 20th birthday.

She was glad that she didn't have to go through all of those rigorous lessons anymore, but of course her pain wasn't over. Now she had to deal with being the Emperor's number 2. Things were basically just going to get harder. Sometimes Ting wished she could just throw her crown away and live the life of a normal girl. Unfortunately that was not possible, unless she wanted to get her whole family banished or worse executed.

The more Ting thought about it the more determined she became. She had to do everything she could to make sure that her family was safe and happy. And it wasn't that bad. At least she would be helping her people prosper and protect them from harm.

She finally spotted the two houses she was looking for. One straight ahead of her, and the other lay to the right side of the dirt road. That one was the house that Cyrus lived in. She would have gone over and said, if it weren't so late. She knew they were all probably tiered from the trip. She knew she was. So she decided to just go straight up to the old house at the end of the road. That's where old lady Pinako lives, but she just calls her granny. She and her family always stay there whenever they visit. Only because her uncle's house didn't have enough room, and so they just stayed at granny Pinako's house instead. She didn't mind, in fact it was nice to sleep in something that wasn't high classed or marked with five stars.

When she got closer to the house she noticed that one of the lights inside the house was still on. Was somebody still awake? It's probably hitting close to 11:30pm. Who would be up this late. She opened the door and was welcomed by the warm light and the soft scent of honey and engine oil.

"Welcome home sweetie." Ting quickly turned her gaze towards the table to find a man with golden hair that slightly fell above his matching golden eyes. He wore sweet smile on his face, and he was holding cup of tea in his hands that still looked to be quite warm. Ting plastered a warm and sweet smile on her face as she hurried over to the table, and embraced him in a warm and welcoming hug.

"Father, you didn't have to wait up for me. You must be tired?" Alphonse smiled at his oldest daughter and gestured to the chair next to him. Ting smiled and sat down in the chair next to her father.

"I know." He replied, handing her the cup of tea. "I just wanted to see you before tomorrow morning." Ting accepted the tea with grace and took a small sip as to test the heat. When she had confirmed that the temperature was perfect she took another swig of the tea. She smiled and gentle set the tea back down on the table.

"It tastes good." She said in a soft whisper.

They both sat there in silence for a few minutes while Ting drank her tea. Alphonse didn't mind. He loved watching her, listening to her, being in the same room as her. He guessed it was a little silly, but every smile and every soft gesture only proved that she was his daughter, and no one else's. If only he could tell the world of the truth. Everyday he would look up at Ling with envy, knowing that Ling had legal ownership of Ting, of his daughter. He could never tell anyone that she belonged to him, and only the closest members of the family knew the truth. Everyday he had to walk through life with the burden of never being able to brag about her to his friends, or tell them of the wonderful things she does. He wasn't even permitted to tell her that he loved her in public. If anyone had so much as a clue that she was in fact not Ling's daughter, but his. His whole family would have to pay for it, and the consequences would be severe. Banishment or even death. No one could know.

He didn't grieve too much though. Every now and then they would be able to get away from the public's eyes and then, they could both be free from their daily burdens.

So of course Alphonse would take any chance he had to spend time with her and just talk. Even just looking at her smiling face gave him satisfaction.

Ting finished her tea and gently placed back onto the table. "Was the train ride okay?" Alphonse asked, craving communication from his precious girl.

"It was fine. Although I slept through most of it and I woke up late. I had rush to get out of the train and onto the platform in time." She chuckled remembering her hurried state.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but I made it." She said with a bright smile. Then she remembered her thoughts before she fell asleep. She had to talk to her father about what Cyrus had told her. I guess now is as good a time as ver. She thought as she mentally prepared herself for a long and confusing conversation.

"Hey, father?" She said plastering a serious look on her face. Alphonse taking notice of this, became a little concerned.

"Yes?"

"Well you see, Cyrus came to me yesterday and he told me all about his visit to the diner."

"And?" Alphonse urged her to continue.

"Well, something happened, something a bit strange."

Ting began to tell her father everything that Cyrus had told her the previous night.


	10. Maybe

_**\- Chapter 10** _

Maybe

"Are you trying to tell me that you think Trisha is still alive?" Alphonse asked, baffled by the story his daughter had just unraveled.

"I'm not sure, but Cyrus told me that he could feel her presence in this girl, Robin. Now is it possible that he was just being desperately delusional? Yes, but I trust Cyrus with every fiber of my being, and I know that he isn't the type of person that makes things up just to feel a sense of hope." Ting was right. Cyrus had always been the kind of person who always looked at the facts, and never made assumptions. He would never say something unless he absolutely believed it to be true or have some interest.

"You're defiantly right about that. Cyrus is a very honest person." Alphonse replied, thinking very hard about the situation. Could Trisha's soul still be alive? Is it possible that she is just locked away somewhere else? He had never heard of anything like it before. Was that even possible? Whichever way you look at it, this girl was definitely something to look into. Even if what Cyrus had felt was just nothing but false hope, it was still worth the try. Who knows maybe Trisha still was alive.

"So, what do you think father?" Ting asked, hope dripping from her words.

"Well, it's definitely worth looking into."

"What about your brother?"

Alphonse then realized that he hadn't thought of that. Edward would surely freak out and run of, trying to handle things on his own. He would never be able to think with a clear head if he just came out and told him that his daughter might still be alive. Of course he couldn't keep it a secret from him either. That would just infuriate him, which would most likely lead to something rash. He would just have to try and find a way to let him know without there being a huge panic.

"Don't worry Ting, I'll find a way to tell him the news without everyone going crazy."

"Good." Ting sighed. She was just glad that her father had such a cool and collected mind. She always knew that she could count on him when it really mattered.

Ting let out a big yawn, and realized that it had gotten really late.

"I think I'm going to go to bed now Father, good night."

"Good night sweetheart."

And with that the young woman headed upstairs to her room to get some much needed rest. Alphonse continued to sit at the table still not sure on how he was supposed to break the news to his older brother. After much contemplation he decided that he would tell him first thing in the morning. 'The sooner the better, right?' He thought as he grabbed the empty cups of tea, put them in the sink, and headed upstairs to get some sleep himself. He wanted to be well rested for the next morning.

When he opened the door he saw that his beautiful wife had already fallen asleep. He slowly made his way towards the bed and sat down on his side. He kept a close watch on her as she breathed in and out, lifting her chest with each breath. He loved to watch her sleep. She looked so calm and beautiful. The moonlight was shining through the open window and touched her soft pale skin, making it look like she was white as snow. Although her touch was as warm as the soft, summer, sun.

He slowly got up of the bed and headed over to the open window. He gently closed it as to not wake her up. He then removed his shirt and slacks, leaving him in a white tank top and his boxers. He slowly crawled into the queen sized bed, and pulled up the sheets over his body, letting the warmth of the cotton embrace him. He wrapped his strong arms around the woman he loved, and rested his chin on the top of her head, holding her close to his chest.

"Alphonse?" A soft and sweet voice broke through the silent room, and Al looked down to find two big midnight blue eyes looking back at him. He gave her a gentle smile and said.

"I'm sorry May, I didn't wake you up, did I?"

"No, it's okay. Did Ting come back?" She asked in a tired but sweet voice.

"Yes she's here, but she's asleep now."

"Good." May replied as she nestled herself into Alphonse's warmth. Alphonse gave her a soft kiss on the forehead before falling into a deep and peaceful slumber.

Edward woke up the next morning to find something missing from his bed. He looked over to see that his wife was nowhere to be seen. Was she already up? That's strange it's still pretty early. She usually doesn't get up until the sun is all the way up in the sky, but it looks like the sun is just barley peeking over the horizon. It was probably around 6:00am in the morning.

He looked over to his bedside table to find that his alarm clock said 6:12am. Just like he thought.

"Oh well, might as well get up now." He dragged himself out of bed and put on a pair of tan slacks and a plain black T-shirt. He opened the bedroom door and headed downstairs. He stopped halfway down the steps when his nose caught the sweet aroma of eggs and bacon. He now found himself hustling through the living room and straight into the kitchen, where he found his beautiful wife cooking up breakfast.

She looked stunningly beautiful in her pink floral dress and white apron, with her hair tied up in its usual ponytail. She didn't look extravagant, but it was enough to make Edward melt inside.

He slowly made his way up to her, noticing that she hadn't seen him yet. He quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, gently picking her up and spinning her around once.

"Edward!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"Good morning Winry." Edward greeted with a grin, as he put her back down.

"I see you're making breakfast. It's kind of early, don't ya think?"

Winry managed to worm her way out of her husband's arms and went back to her cooking.

"I know, it's just nice to have everyone back home again. I just thought it would be nice to make breakfast for everyone." She replied with a soft smile. She loved it when the whole family was back in Resembool. It gave her a chance to catch up with everyone. It was nice to see them again, that's for sure.

"Well it smells delicious." Ed commented as he took in the wonderful aroma of food once more. Then the front door opened with a creek as a tall man and a short young woman walked in.

"mmm I smell food." The man called out as he closed the door. Ed and Winry turned around to find Alphonse and May at the entrance, taking of their shoes. They both plastered a smile on their faces, as the couple made their way to the kitchen.

"Hey Al, May. Winry is making breakfast for everyone."

"Oh wow, that's going to be a lot of food." May replied, watching Winry rush around the kitchen.

"You doubt me?" Winry asked with a cocky smirk. If it was one thing that Winry knew how to do, it was cooking.

"Hey, where is Xaio and sue? And Ting, wasn't she supposed to come back last night?" Ed asked, noticing the lack of sarcastic remarks and formal attitude.

"Well actually," Alphonse began, plastering a serious look on his face. "There something that we need to discus, and I would prefer it if the kids weren't here to listen in." Everyone turned to Al, looking at him in confusion and surprise.

"Did something happen Al?" Winry asked with concern clear in her voice.

"Yeah man, is everything okay?" Edward added. Alphonse sighed, most likely dreading this moment. How was he going to do this? All of his nerves were now building up, and he could feel himself growing weaker.

"How about we all sit down?" Alphonse suggested, knowing that if they were all standing up when he told them the news, one of them were bound to fall to the floor. All of them gave Al a questioning look before following him to the living room couch. Ed and Winry sat next to each other and Alphonse sat down with May.

They all sat there in a long and tense silence, and for a couple of minutes no one said a word, until Winry started to grow impatient.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about Al?" She asked, breaking the silence. Alphonse knew he couldn't put it off any longer, and prepared himself for the worst, as he took in a deep breath.

"Alright, now I'm going to tell you something that Ting and I discussed yesterday when she came home. Now what I'm about to tell you is very important, and I need you to promise me that you're not going to freak out or take it too seriously. Okay?"

Now everyone had worried looks on their faces, and they all wondered what could possibly be so important? Nevertheless they all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Alright well, it all started on the day of the ceremony. Xaioli, Suling, and Cyrus were all at a small diner downtown when they ran into a young woman named Robin. They were all about to leave when Cyrus shook this girl's hand, you know, to say goodbye. But when he took a hold of her hand he said that he felt a strong force pulling at him, almost in desperation. He also said that he felt a presence."

Alphonse stopped talking as he thought through carefully his next words.

"And?" May asked, anticipating something bad.

"And, He said that the presence that he felt was extremely familiar to….Trisha."


	11. Resisting

_**\- Chapter 11** _

Resisting

Silent….The whole room was silent. Not a peep was made, not a word conceived. It was as if all sound had been taken away in that very moment in time. They almost would have believed it had if it were not for the birds chirping outside and the soft whisper of the wind.

Alphonse was afraid that this would happen. He had just finished explaining to May, Winry, and his brother Ed about how Cyrus had believed to feel Trisha's presence at the diner, and now he sat in the uncomfortable silence as he awaited their response.

"Trisha?" May slowly said, finally breaking the silence. "You mean as in Edward and Winry's little Trisha?" She finished, gesturing to the shocked couple. Al only nodded to say yes, nervous that anything else he said would cause all hell to break loose.

May didn't say anything after that she only looked down at her hands as they lay gently on her lap. Alphonse dared to look up at his brother, and wasn't too surprised to see the shock, but also the hope in his eyes.

"Are you telling me that Trisha, my little girl, is still alive somewhere out there?" Edward asked, clinging steadfastly unto the hope that had been shattered years ago. He continued to speak, keeping his little brother from saying anything else.

"Is that what you're saying? Is Trisha still alive? Where is she, what's happened to her? Alphonse what…"

"Enough!" Everyone quickly turned towards Winry as she had violently lifted herself of the couch. She stood up tall with her fists clenched tight by her side, tears threatening to fall from her blue eyes. She had been looking at her husband, but quickly averted her furious eyes towards Alphonse. If someone could kill by just staring, then Alphonse would be long gone by now. She stood in silence for a second before speaking again.

" Stop it Al. It's over. Trisha is gone, and she is not coming back, ever! Enough is enough!" With that she turned around and stormed upstairs leaving the rest staring.

Alphonse wasn't to surprised by her sudden outburst. Winry had been this way for a while now. When Trisha disappeared Winry was as driven as Edward to find her and she swore that she would never lose hope. However, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and pretty soon that hope turned into hopelessness. After six years she finally gave up. She was crushed, and it hurt her to watch her husband's relentless and hopeless search for their precious little girl. She couldn't take it anymore. After that she refused to here any leads or claims about her daughter, and she will throw her anger and frustrations at you if you try to give her any hope. Alphonse knew this, and it was part of the reason that he was so hesitant to tell her.

"Why don't you go and talk to her, try to get her to calm down a little?" Al asked, turning towards his wife. He knew that Winry and May were very close, and if anyone could console Winry it was her. May nodded and quickly headed upstairs towards the distressed mother, leaving Al to deal with his brother.

"Do you really think she's alive?" Edward softly asked. Alphonse sighed and looked at his brother with serious eyes.

"Look Ed, I don't want to raise any false hope about the situation at hand, but I do believe that Cyrus felt something, weather it was Trisha or something else, I don't know for sure, but if there is a slight chance that it is her then it's at least worth looking into."

"I don't care if the chances are one out of a billion, cause like you said. If there is even a small chance that my daughter is still alive….Well that's then that's a chance I'm willing to make."

Alphonse could see the determination and fire in his eyes, and he knew right away that there wasn't a force strong enough in the world that could keep him from going.

"You said that Cyrus felt Trisha's precence in this 'Robin' girl, right?"

"Yea, that's what Ting told me."

"Then I say that's where I start."

"You mean we?"

Ed looked towards his brother in confusion.

"We?" He started. "I thought you would want to spend this time with Ting, Knowing that you don't get to spend a lot of quality time together."

"I know, but there is no way I'm letting you go on this alone. I'm coming with you and that's final." Al replied sternly, holding his hand out to seal the deal. Ed looked at his brother, gave him a quick smirk, and then shook his hand.

"It's a deal."

"You're leaving?" a soft voice asked. The two brothers turned towards the stairs to find Winry, with May standing next to her on the steps. Edward looked at her for a second then rose up from his place on the couch, and headed over to her. Winry descended the stairs and met her husband at the bottom of the steps. She looked up at him with eyes that seemed so full of sorrow.

"Why?" Was all she said. Edward sighed knowing that this wasn't going to be easy. He moved his hands up and down her arms in an attempt to comfort her.

"Winry I know that this has been really hard for you and I know that you believe that it's pointless, but I still think that there is a possibility that she could still be alive, maybe even looking for us. So please, let go and see if I can find her, just this one last time, and if it turns out to be nothing than I promise to come back and stop searching. I'll stay here with you and the kids. Okay?"

There was a long run of silence as Winry stood there debating whether he should go or not. She was tiered of all of this running around and searching for something that wasn't there, but he seemed so desperate and hopeful, and although she would have done anything to keep him home she knew that she could never strip him of this opportunity. She sighed in defeat and replied.

"Alright, but please, don't expect too much, okay?"

"Edward smiled at her approval and said, "Okay." He then proceeded to embrace her in his arm. "It's going to be okay." He whispered in her ear.

"What time is it, and why is everybody standing by the door?"

Everyone turned their heads to find teenage girl with short golden hair that was in a knotted mess, eyes that were a little red and puffy, wearing small pink shorts with an over-sized white t shirt. She gave a big yawn and rubbed her eyes so that she could see more clearly, as she made her way down the stairs.

"Good morning Hadley, did you sleep well?" Edward asked setting Winry free from his embrace.

"Yea, sure daddy." She replied, reaching the bottom and stepping into the crowd of adults.

"Why are you up so early? It's like only seven O'clock in the morning."

"If it's so early in the morning then why are you awake?" Her mother asked with a smirk, placing her hands on her hips.

"I don't know. I just woke up." She replied half-heartedly.

"Why don't you go upstairs and clean up. I'll have breakfast ready for you when you're done." Winry explained as she rushed Hadley up the stairs. Haley was about half way up the steps when her mother called to her.

"Oh, and can you wake up your brother while you're at it?"

"Sure mom." She said with a yawn, and disappeared upstairs.

"I should probablly go and wake up the kids." May said as she slipped on her shoes. "I'm getting really hungry, and that food smells absolutely divine." She complimented, and with that she was out the door and making her way up to the old Rockbell residence.

Once everyone was awake and ready the whole family sat down at the table to eat their breakfast. Everyone talked and laughed. They all shared stories about the past three years and they all ate until they couldn't eat anymore.

After breakfast Ting decided to stay behind and help Winry and May with the dishes while the other kids went out.

"Oh it feels so good to be back here in Resembool." Suling exclaimed, as she twirled around letting her yellow skirt shine in the sunlight.

"I can't believe it's been three years, It feels like a lifetime." Hadley commented.

"Maybe for someone as young as you, but in my opinion these years seemed to have just flew by." Cyrus added.

They were walking down a wide dirt road, heading towards the bridge. They loved hanging out by the river. They used to all play games there when they were little. There wasn't a lot of people in Resembool to begin with, but even with the small population you would think that at least a few people would be there from time to time, but no one ever came to the bridge unless they had to cross it. However that wasn't the case today.

As they were nearing the bridge Cyrus noticed that there was another person there. He squinted to get a better look, and when he realized who it was he immediately started to blush.

"Um guys, how about we head back, okay? We don't need to go to the bridge today, right?" Cyrus stuttered, as he tried to find any excuse to leave. Everyone looked at him strangely, and then Hadley turned her eyes to the bridge to see if he had been put off by something, and then she noticed that there was another person there, a person that she knew very well. A big smirk spread across her face as she looked back at her older brother.

"Oh this is going to be fun." She stated, and then latching herself unto her brother she started to run towards the bridge.

"Wait, no Hadley STOP!" Cyrus tried to resist, but to no avail. Hadley refused to let go. They finally came to a stop standing only a few feet away from a young woman with short wavy caramel hair and eyes the color of pure turquoise. She wore a long brown skirt, and a simple green top. She smiled at the two and spoke.

"Cyrus, Hadley. Oh it's so nice to see you two." Her voice was soft and sweet, and any one would be able to melt in her melodic voice.

"Hi Claire, it's nice to see you too." Hadley then looked at an imaginary pocket watch then back to her. "Oh would you look at the time, I have to go. Bye!" and with that she grabbed Cyrus shoved him towards Claire and ran off back to the group, and then hurried them all in a different direction.

"Well that was odd." Claire giggled. Then looked back to Cyrus who was as stiff as a rock and shining bright red.

"It's nice to see you again Cyrus." She admitted softly.

"Um, yeah, it's um, nice to, um s-see you t-too." He stuttered turning around to look into the water. Claire giggled then wrapped her arm around his, leaning into his shoulder and looked down at their reflection in the water. Cyrus immediately became stiff again as he tried to calm down.

"I missed you." She whispered, making Cyrus relax a little, and after a while he was completely free from any tension and enjoyed the moment with the woman that he had fallen in love with.


	12. Departure

_**\- Chapter 12** _

Departure

The whole day went by in a flash and before they knew it, it was early morning the next day. It was a beautiful morning. It had rained that night and now the meadows that seemed to stretch on forever were covered in pure glistening dew. It wasn't quite sunrise yet and the sun was just barely peeking up over the horizon. Only a few birds had arisen and were gleefully chirping while they fluttered through the now clear sky.

The whole family had gathered over at the Elric's house to say their goodbyes. Everyone was standing outside on the porch.

"How long are you going to be gone, daddy?" Suling asked as she hugged her father.

"We won't be gone for too long." Al replied, looking into her soft golden eyes.

"Promise?" Al chuckled a little as Sue held out her pinky finger. Al crossed his pinky with hers and smiled.

"I promise." Al assured her.

"Are you sure about this, I mean do you really have to go?" Winry asked while she adjusted her husband's green tie. Ed tilted her head up so that she was looking right into his comforting eyes.

"Don't worry, we will be back before you know it. And who knows, we might be coming home with some extra company." He said, trying to comfort her and at the same time push a little hope into her heart. However, her expression didn't change and she looked back down at her feet, failing to grasp onto any hope or comfort that Ed handed to her.

"Hey, everything's going to be okay." He said. Winry looked back up again and forced a smile on her face.

"Just be safe out there, and please try not to get yourself into too much trouble, okay?"

"I'll try."

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

With that Ed leaned down and gave her a soft kiss and held her in his arms. Alphonse smiled at the loving couple before quickly turning his attention back to his own wife. He looked down into her soft midnight eyes that always seemed to glimmer a soft deep blue. He loved May with every fiber of his being, and he wanted nothing more than to stay here with her, not to mention Ting who he barely gets to see back home in Xing. But he knew that his brother was very stubborn. There was no way he was going to be able to convince him to stay, and there was no chance that he was going to let his brother wonder Amestris on his own. He had to be there to keep him from getting into too much trouble.

He looked down to the small child that May was gently holding in her arms and smiled.

"Take good care of the kids while I'm gone." He said as he ran his fingers gently across little Benjamin's cheek. The baby smiled and giggled a little at the ticklish touch of his father's fingers. May smiled at the little boy then quickly looked back to her husband.

"Alphonse, we'll be fine. You just remember to take care of yourself." She replied, giving him a small but soft kiss.

"Now go on, if you don't leave right now you'll miss your train." She announced, quickly breaking the sweet comfort and pulling back reality.

"Right, of course." Edward said as he picked up his brown leather briefcase. Alphonse quickly looked over to Ting who had been patiently waiting to say goodbye.

"I'm sorry we weren't able to spend this time with each other. I know it's been a while, and who knows maybe we will be able to come home early." Alphonse said, trying to reassure her. Ting just smiled and took her father's hands in her own.

"It's okay, I understand. You do what you have to do. I'll be fine."

Not a lot was said after that. The rest of the family said their goodbyes and after that Ed and Al started down the dirt road toward the train station leaving their home and family behind.

The sun was starting to rise and soon all of Resembool was covered in beautiful streaks of light that made the left over rain sparkle even more. As soon as Ed and Al had left Cyrus and Ting walked towards the abandoned bridge and stood there quietly looking at the rippling water below as water droplets fell from the big oak tree into the river. They stood there for a while just watching the day get brighter and brighter as the sun ascended into the sky.

"It's been a while hasn't it?" Ting stated, finally breaking the soft silence.

"I guess so." Cyrus replied half-heartedly.

"You know, I can't remember the last thing I said to her, but I guess that's to be expected. I mean we weren't exactly super close."  
"The last thing I said to Trisha was mean and cruel." Cyrus commented almost immediately. Ting looked up and saw that his face was covered in emotions of guilt and disappointment, and if you looked a little deeper. You could find the burning anger and resentment he felt. Cyrus took a deep breath and spoke.

"I told her that she was too dangerous, that she had ruined everything, and that it would be better for all of us if she just disappeared, and before we knew it she was gone."

Ting gently placed her hand on top of his in an effort to comfort him.

"It was such a long time ago, you cant' possibly still be blaming yourself? It wasn't your fault." Cyrus clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on the brick wall.

"How can you say that? I said such horrible things to her, and then I wasn't even strong enough to save her!" By this time Cyrus had started to build up tears in his eyes that threatened to fall down his cheek and into the still water below.

"I wasn't strong enough, and I never will be! I'll always be a disappointment to my family! Even now my father is out there searching for her while I just stand here in the safety of small town resembool doing absolutely nothing! I'm as useless as ever."

Ting removed her hand from his and forcefully placed her hands on his shoulder and turned him around so that he would be looking straight into her eyes, which where filed with fierceness.

"Don't you dare say such things about yourself Cyrus! You are not a disappointment to anyone. You are wonderful person, and even though you may not be strong in muscle and stature you are strong at heart. It's your best quality. You care so much for other people and to me that is greater than the strongest man alive as far as I'm considered, and we all know how important my opinion is. You are definitely not useless, in fact your family couldn't be more proud..." She loosens her grip on his shoulder and her eyes soften.

"I couldn't be more proud. You really have become a wonderful young man."

"But, Trisha."

"Look, I know you feel like you need to go out there and help find her, but the best thing that you can do right now is just stay here with your mother, because she really needs you now more than ever. All we can do is wait and hope that they find something, anything that could lead us to her."

They are silent for a while and Cyrus realizes that Ting is absolutely right. With his father and uncle gone his mother is going to need all the help and support she could get, and besides he would probably just get in the way if he went and tagged along with them.

"Ting?"

startled by the sudden voice the pair quickly turn to the road to find a young woman standing by the edge of the bridge. Ting let out a sigh of relief.

"Clarissa, you gave me quite the scare there." Ting explained Clarissa blushed a little out of embarrassment.

"Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you, it's just that I haven't seen you for a long time." Clarissa replies quickly then looks over to Cyrus who had been sneaking glances at her, but turned away quickly when she looked back.

"Good morning Cyrus." She says sweetly.

"G-good morning Claire." He replied a little nervously, not looking up from the ground. Ting quickly picked up the tension between the two and decided to retreat back to the house.

"Well it was very nice to see you again Clarissa, but I think I'll just head back to the house now." She swiftly moves across the bridge and gives Clarissa a quick wink then she merrily skips down the dirt road that leads back to the house with a knowing grin on her face, something she rarely gets to do. Skipping that is.

Clarissa watches Ting disappear down the road and then turns her attention back to Cyrus who is still staring down at the bridge floor. She giggled a little at his bashful nature and then decided that she was going to make the most of the opportunity that Ting had given her.

"It must be nice to see your old friend again after three years." She started as she made her way across the bridge only stopping at about a foot away from him.

"Uh yeah, I guess so." He said switching his gaze to the river below. Cyrus never told Clarissa the truth about Ting, that she was actually his cousin. Only his family knows and a few select others. Even though he wanted to tell her sometimes just to reassure her that the intimate relationship between them is purely family based he wouldn't dream of putting Ting and her family in that position, because if anyone else knew it would be hell. Although he wasn't to worried about it. Claire had never been the type to get jealous, and he was thankful for that.

"You know I really missed you." she continued moving closer so that only 16 inches were left between them. Cyrus knew that she had been gone for an entire month on a trip to Aerugo with her father and had just recently come back the day before.

"I missed you too Claire." He replied not averting his eyes from the water.

Clarissa loved it that he called her Claire. Only her father, sister, Hadley, and Cyrus called her that. She knew it wasn't a very clever nickname and it's probably something that would be plainly obvious, but it still meant a lot to her. She guessed it was because it was so informal and simple, and she was glad that he was comfortable enough around her.

She wanted Cyrus to look at her in the eyes so she lifted her arm and placed on his sliding her hand gently down to his hand and then entwined her fingers with his. Cyrus quickly let his eyes stray from the water as they instead stayed set on their entwined hands. Clarissa moved in closer leaving only 4 inches now between the two. She took her other hand and placed her finger under his chin and lifted it up so that he would face her directly.

Cyrus took in a sharp breath as he was met with two perfect turquoise eyes that he instantly just melted in. He quickly caught the scent of honey as he felt her warm breath barley graze his lips and nose. A scent that he loved so much next to mint and the air right after it has rained.

The sensations became stronger as she started to lean in further. 3 inches, 2 inches, 1 inch.

"Have I ever told you that your eyes are like two perfect glimmering jewels?" But before Cyrus got his answer Claire closed the space between them, Cyrus' eyes widened a little but not much, before he melted into the kiss and closed his eyes all the way.

The kiss was short but sweet and chaste. When he pulled back the taste of honey lingered on his lips. He slowly opened his eyes to find Claire looking sweetly into his eyes, and what she said after surprised him.

"Jewels can be taken, but the golden sun is forever." She said softly in a whisper.

It took Cyrus a second to realize that she was talking about his eyes, and he couldn't help but smile.

"You are an extrodinary woman miss Lewis."


	13. Trisha

_**\- Chapter 13** _

Trisha

"Hey Trisha, are you sure dad said that this was okay?" Cyrus asked as he watched his little sister draw on the concrete driveway outside their house with white chalk.

"Of course, he said it was fine. Don't be such a worry wort." Trisha replied as she continued to draw patterns on the ground. She continued for another minute then she was finally finished.

"There! So, what do you think?" She asked, turning to her older brother.

"So that's suppose to be a transmutation circle? It looks awfully complex."

"Of course it is silly, what where you expecting a little kid picture. No this is real science. I know because daddy taught me." She said boastfully with much pride.

"I'm just surprised that you could do something like this, I mean you're only 5 years old."

"What can I say?" She started. "I'm a genius."

Cyrus just rolled his eyes at her confidence. "So, where you going to show me how this works then?" Cyrus asked, eyeing the glass of water next to her. Trisha looked down at the water that Cyrus was eyeing and grinned. "Well of course."

She took the glass of water and placed it in the middle of the transmutation circle and then grabbed the pair of yarn mittens that laid on the other side of her, and put them on.

"Watch and learn brother." She commented. However she knew it was pointless to say, because no matter how much alchemy Cyrus learns he will never be able to perform it. She just said it using instincts.

She then started to rub her hands together violently trying to build up an electrical charge within the yarn, and after a minute sh stopped, clapped her hands together, and then looked back at her brother with a smug look.

"You ready?" She asked, and Cyrus looked at her for a minute, a little nervous, but nodded yes in reply.

"Alright, here goes nothing." She said as she placed her hands on the top of the transmutation circle, and in an instant the circle started to emanate a blue glow as it started to spark a little with electric energy. Then the water in the glass started to light up as little tiny electrical charges swam through the water. It looked like hundreds of tiny little lightning bolts built up into one glass.

It didn't last long though as a couple of seconds later the glass shattered sending the sparked water flowing free. Cyrus and Trisha quickly took a couple of steps backward so they wouldn't get shocked. The water that had spread out on the concrete sparked for about a minute before dying down into what seemed like regular water. However if you touched it you would surely feel a shock.

The two siblings just stood there for a second digesting everything they just saw.

"That. Was. AWSOME!" Trisha exclaimed with excitement. "Did you see that I created lightning, an electrical charge!?"

Cyrus just stood there in awe, wondering how she did it, but he didn't get a chance to ask, because Trisha had already flung of the gloves and was now running towards the house.

"Where are you going!?" Cyrus called after her.

"I'm going to go tell mom!" And then she disappeared into the house. She ran through the living room and straight into the kitchen where Winry was found Merrily making lunch for her two kids.

"Mom, mom, Hey guess what!" She started jumping up and down grabbing unto her mothers skirt. Winry looked down at Trisha and smiled.

"What is it dear?" She asked kneeling down so that they were face to face.

"I created an electrical charge using alchemy!" She explained, proud of her accomplishment.

"Oh sweetheart that's wonderful. You really are my little genius." Winry replied as she patted her head. At that time Cyrus walked into the kitchen holding the yarn gloves that his little sister had dropped.

"Yeah, well she also managed to shatter one of your glasses." He added with slight condensation.

"Oh whats one little glass?" Winry started, " Just promise me that you won't go around breaking things again, ok?"

Trisha just nodded unable to contain her excitement. Cyrus rolled his eyes as he watched his little sister once again avoid trouble. She always got it her way, and whenever she would do something bad she would just get a warning, but if he made a little mistake, well lets just say that they didn't let go so easily. She was like the angle child of the family just because she could perform a couple of tricks. It just felt unjust to him somehow, and yet he couldn't stop thinking how great she was himself.

"Why don't you go and tell your father." Winry suggested knowing that this was something that he would love to hear.

"okay!" Trisha exclaimed as she started to make her way out of the kitchen, but she was stopped when she heard her mother again.

"Oow!"

"Mom, are you okay?"

Trisha turned around to find her mother kneeling back on the floor with Cyrus over her.

"Mom!" Trisha made her way over to see what happened. She looked up to the counter to see that the knife had been placed just a little over the counter, and when she saw the slight trace of blood on the tip she guessed that her mother must not have seen it and rose to quickly cutting herself.

Winry moved her hand from her side and Trisha saw the cut. It wasn't deep, but it was still bleeding a bit.

"Oh don't worry guys, it's just a little cut. Nothing to worry about." She said standing back up, being careful not to bump into the knife again. She picked up the knife and placed in the sink, and then headed for the first aid kit in the cupboard. That's when Trisha got an idea.

"Wait mom!" She called out.

Winry turned towards her daughter in confusion.

"Let me. The last time Ting was here she showed me some alchehistry tha she had learned back home. It's the kind you use to heal wounds."

Winry plastered a look of concern on her face before speaking. "Oh I don't know sweetie. I think I'll be fine if I just put a band aid over it, it's nothing so big that I need alchemy for it."

"Alchehistry, and I know that, it's just I wanna practice a little, I mean what harm could come of it?" Trisha explained, pleading with her mother to give her a chance to prove herself. Winry was a little on affense about it, but gave in anyways.

"Oh I guess if you really want to try I guess it wouldn't hurt."

Beaming with excitement, Trisha quickly lead her mother to the living room couch where she prepared to heal her with her new found knowledge of Xingese Aclhemy. Once she was done with the preparations she looked up at her mother.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Winry replied.

And with that Trisha placed her hands on Winry's cut. A soft blue glow emanated from the scene, the same way it did before, but this time there was no electric energy being used.

Trisha concentrated really hard as she tries to heal her mother, and she becomes ecstatic when the small cut begins to glow. Winry starts to feel a little warm and almost a little bit of nausea, but lets her daughter continue, pushing the feeling aside. After a while Trisha is finally able to close the wound and lets her hands drop to her side, as she takes in a huge breath when she realized that she hadn't been breathing the whole time through.

"You did it." Cyrus commented as he watched Trisha try to regain her breath, but nothing else was said when Winry suddenly vomited up her breakfast.

"Mom!?" Cyrus is off the couch and at his mother's side in an instant. "Are you okay?"

"Mom?" Trisha says as she finally got her breathing under control.

Then again She vomits all over the floor except for this time there is blood mixed in with the rest of the waste. Cyrus is now extremely worried for his mother's well being.

"DAD!" He shouts up the stairs. "Dad come quick, there's something wrong with mom!"

And for the third time Winry manages to cough up more blood and vomit. Edward, hearing Cyrus' calls quickly comes down the stairs.

"What's wrong guys!" He sees Winry and quickly makes his way over to the couch.

"Winry! Hey are you okay, what happened?" He asked turning towards his kids.

"I don't know. Mom got a little cut from the knife and Trisha was trying to heal it with some new alchehistry that she had learned from Ting." Cyrus explained, trying to stay as clam as possible.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean for this to happen!" Trisha started, hysteric as tears ran down her face.

"Calm down Trisha, no ones blaming you, okay? I need you to stop crying." Edward said trying to console her and control the situation at the same time. Trisha tried to calm down herself as Edward looked over his wife. She had passed out and was no breathing heavily. He felt her forehead and found that she had a horrible fever.

"Alright guys I need you to get in the car,okay? We need to get your mother to a hospital."

With that they all piled into the car that they had just gotten three years ago. They must have driven for two hours before they reached the hospital in East City. Cyrus had been taking care of his mother in the back holding an ice pack to her head in an attempt to cool her down. As soon as they got there Edward hurried her into the building, and let the doctors take her to a room where they could fully examine her.

An hour had passed and Cyrus and Trisha were sitting in the waiting room while their father was on the phone. Most likely talking to their uncle, telling him everything that has happened.

"This is all my fault." Trisha mumbled under her breath. She knew that Cyrus could hear her and yet he didn't say a word. He just looked at the floor with an icy stare. Which was very rare for him.

"Well say something." She said hoping that her brother would console her. Cyrus turned to face her, but he didn't remove to look of scorn from his eyes.

"What do you want me to say, I mean you're absolutely right. This is all your fault, and maybe if would stop showing of your stupid alchemy powers we wouldn't be in this situation!" He turned his stare back to the marble floor.

suddenly Trisha realized that she was going to get no mercy from him, and sudden wave a guilt washed over her. tears threatened to fall from her blue eyes that seemed to become paler and paler by the second.

Edward finally hung up the phone and headed over the the kids, but before he could say anything a nurse came into the room.

"Edward Elric?" She called out, and Ed quickly made his way over the the woman.

"Yes?"

"Would you please follow me? We need to speak with you about your wife's condition." She then glanced over at the children then looked back to Ed. "Preferably alone, if you don't mind?"

Ed looked back to his kids and said, "I'll be back in a little bit guys. Just wait here, okay?" Cyrus and Trisha were both a little disappointed that they couldn't see their mother yet, but both nodded their heads in agreement. With that Edward left with the nurse.

"Well I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing." Trisha stated as she lifted herself off the chair.

"Didn't you hear the nurse? She said she wanted to talk to dad alone." He replied bitterly, but Trisha just ignored him as she made her way to the door.

"Why do you even bother? Cyrus starts again, "You'll probably just make everything worse. You're too dangerous, and you've ruined everything! It would just be better for all of us if you just disappeared."

Trisha couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her sweet and innocent brother wishing for her to disappear. Then again she couldn't really blame him, because she knew it was her fault, and he was absolutely right, even so, it still hurt a lot. She didn't say anything in return and just opened the door and left the room letting a tear escape from her know pale grey eyes.

Trisha made her way down the hospital hallway trying to find the room that her mother was in. She didn't have to search for too long when she heard the familiar voices of the nurse and her father. She didn't enter the room, but instead just listened to the conversation through the door.

"-But these symptoms that she's having are not looking good."

"What do mean?"

"She has a high fever and she keeps couching up blood and vomit, not to mention that now she's crying that she's in great pain."

` Trisha froze for a second. Here mother was in great pain? She didn't like the sound of that, and more guilt started to pulse through her body,making her a little heavier. She continued to listen.

"Is she going to be okay, what's going to happen to her?"

"I'm afraid it doesn't look so good right now. A lot of these symptoms have been traced back to some dangerous desieses some even fatal."

Trisha's knees went weak and she collapsed. kneeling on the ground. Fatal? Was her mother going to die? No, no this can't be happening. She didn't mean to do it. All she wanted was to show her mom that she could heal her, and instead she winds up killing her? There was absolutely no more self pity in her anymore. All the guilt was weighing her down, making her feel like she weighed 500lbs.

"Trisha?"

Trisha turned around to find her brother standing there just a couple of feet away. Cyrus looked back at his little sister and was crushed by what he saw. She was kneeling on the ground with tears smothering her face. Her blonde hair was sticking to her face as she looked at him with utter fear. he wanted to go over there and console her, tell her that everything was alright. He had originally come to apologize, but know he sees how much his words really effected her. He tries to take a step forward, but Trisha doesn't want him to tell her how much she screwed up and so with all her strength she picked herself off the floor and booked it.

"Trisha!"

Cyrus' sudden call caught Edward's attention, and he opened the door to find Trisha turning the corner with Cyrus following after.

"Trisha! Cyrus!" He ran after his kids hoping to figure out what all the commotion was about.

Cyrus rounded the corner to find Trisha heading for the front doors. He tried to run faster, wanting to catch her before she got outside, but to no avail. She exited the Hospital and ran into the streets. Cyrus burst through the door just in time to see something he never wanted to or ever thought he would see. trisha had ran into the street where a speeding car was heading straight towards her, and she stopped, frozen stiff from all the fear.

"TRISHA!"

But it was too late. Just as his father burst through the door, Trisha was hit.

Edward and Cyrus just stood there frozen in place. No, no this could not be happening. Cyrus couldn't move. He wanted to run over and see her, but he couldn't move. His father on the other hand darted from the entrance in seconds.

"TRISHA!"

The man who had been driving the car had stopped, and gotten out of his car to check for the poor little girl. Edward shoved him aside, frantically looking around for his daughter, hoping that she was still alive, but to his surprise he found nothing. No body. It was almost like she hadn't even been there at all.

But how could a girl just just disappear?


	14. Mustang

_**\- Chapter 14** _

Mustang

Robin sighed as she started to pack up all of her belongings. "I can't believe that after all of that we still don't have a single lead to my past."

Kevin looked over to where Robin was slowly folding one of her shirts, noticing the distant look in her chocolate brown eyes. It wasn't the first time that he had noticed it either. She had come back from central command with the same glazed eyed look. There was something inside of him that knew that something had happened while she had been out. He knew she hadn't found any leads, but the look she had plastered on her face told him that it was something else, but what? Why was she acting so strange?

No longer being able to keep his curious thoughts inside his head, he sat down right next to her.

"Did something happen when you were out?"

Robin was startled by his sudden interest and for a split second her mind lapsed back to the diner. What  _did_  happen that night? She could remember the night just fine until the very end. She remembered shaking hands with the paranoid young man, but then as she started to leave everything had just gone black, but she could still feel something. It was like drowning inside of black tar. A feeling so negative and dark that it sent shivers down her spine just by thinking about it.

After that the feeling suddenly vanished and she found herself looking into the eyes of the same young man while she was holding unto his arm. Everyone was looking a little confused and worried at that point and it was extremely awkward. So, she just left as soon a she could, running all the way back to the hotel.

She sat there for a moment debating on whether she should tell Kevin what had happened or not.

"Oh it's nothing. I'm just a little disappointed that I wasn't able to find anything at the command center." She said, turning to face Kevin, while she pulled the ends of her lips up into a forced smile. However Kevin saw straight through her lie, but he decided to not push it any further along, worried that it might just aggravate her more.

"Don't worry Robin," He started. "I have a good feeling about the next town. Who knows? Maybe you'll find your answer in the south?" Robin smiled at her supportive friend and quickly finished with her packing.

"Thanks Kevin, I hope you're right."

"Back in Central again." Al sighed as he and Ed stepped off the train and onto the platform.

"You know, if I had a dime for every time we have had to come here, I would probably be the richest man alive."

"Hey, no complaining Al. Remember, you were the one who wanted to tag along with me." Ed reminded him as they made their way to the exit.

"Yeah, but only to make sure that you don't get yourself into too much trouble. We all know how you can be sometimes." Al replied, saying the last part in a low whisper, but still loud enough for his brother to hear.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?!" He snapped back, as they stepped into the streets of Central. They had been on the train for seven hours so it was a little bit past two in the afternoon. The bright sun shone over all of central making it look like a bunch of glistening diamonds.

"So where exactly are we heading?" Al asked facing his brother.

"Well the last time te kids saw her it was at the diner, right? So, that's where we'll start."

And with that they headed straight towards Penny's Diner. After about 10 minutes they arrived at the small little red building that had Penny's Diner written on a board at the top. The pushed open the glass door, setting off the tiny bell that hung by the door, and entered.

"Maybe one of the waitresses heard something?" Al suggested as he looked around the cute little cafe, but they barley took one step before they heard a familiar voice.

"Uncle Ed?"

The two brothers turned around to find a young woman with brown eyes, raven hair that fell to her shoulders, and a slender figure that was accentuated by her scantily clad clothing.

"Josephine, what a nice surprise." Al quickly replied a little nervously. Josephine smirked then continued.

"A surprise? To see me? I'm the one who lives here. What are you guys doing here? I thought you would be back home by now?"

"Yes well, we have some business to attend to here so we had to come back." Edward admitted a little annoyed.

"business? What kind of business?" She coaxed, trying to rip every detail she could from the current conversation.

"it's nothing big. Were just trying to find someone, that's all." All confessed. Josephine's face suddenly fell a little from its usual confidence. She looked down at the marble floor and thought for a couple of seconds before speaking up again.

"Don't tell me you're still searching after all this time?" She asked a little worried for the two.

"No, this time were looking for someone else." Al quickly answered. It wasn't a complete lie. They were looking for a girl named Robin Scott, but of course he failed to tell her that this girl might have some relation to Trisha. He didn't want to raise panic. He wanted it to be sort of like a secret case, because who knows what could happen if everyone found out that they were chasing the same old fictional dream that they had been chasing since the beginning.

Josephine's face lightened up a bit with the assurance from Al.

"Well if it's a person you're looking for maybe Daddy can help?" She stated, her grin coming back to her in what seemed like an instant.

Edward flinched at her proposal and slightly turned his head.

"No thanks, we'll be fine on our own." He muttered.

"Oh come on. You'll never get anywhere by just walking around the city." She informed. Now Ed was starting to get agitated.

"Look, I don't need that bastards help with anything! I can do this by myself." He proclaimed, staring daggers in Josephine's eyes. She let out a big sigh and continued.

"You know, you really shouldn't be talking about Daddy that way. I mean, he is the furer."

"I don't care what position hes in, he is still an annoying bastard." Ed muttered again.

"Mr. Elric?" The group turned around at the unfamiliar voice and saw yet another young woman who had long straight chocolate hair with pale blue eyes, wearing a waitress uniform. After looking at her for a while Ed finally recognized her as one of Hadley's good friends.

"Charlotte? i didn't know you worked here?"

"Oh yes, but it's just a part time job." She replied with a half-hearted smile. Then Ed remembered why they had come there in the first place. He quickly made his way up to the counter where Charlotte was standing behind the register.

"Charlotte, you wouldn't have happened to see a young woman by the name of Robin Scott pass through here?" He questioned.

Charlotte thought for a minute or two trying to recall the people she had waited on recently, and then she remembered.

"Oh yes, There was a girl like that here just a couple of days ago. She long red hair and tan skin, which I found was very unusual considering that she said she had lived most of her life up north in the cold mountains."

"So you did see her?!" Ed beamed.

"Yep, she was definitely here. Cyrus, Hadley, and Xaio were here two. In fact the most bizarre thing happened while they were here." She recalled suddenly.

"Yes I already know about what happened! I need you to tell me where she went after." Ed interrupted, brushing off her already known story. Charlotte looked a bit baffled at the man leaning on the counter wondering what had gotten into him.

"I'm sorry," She started. "I don't anything about where she could have gone."

"Nothing? Not even where she was staying for the night?"

"No. I'm sorry." She apologized.

Edward deflated a little at the dead end he suddenly found himself in.

"You know, my offer still stands." Josephine quipped. "Besides even if there was a clue that would lead you to this so called Robin girl, it would take you forever to search the entire city."

"You know Ed, she does have a point." Al said, trying to reason with his brother. He wanted to find Trisha just as much as he did, but this was getting them nowhere.

"Fine." Ed finally caved. "I guess we have no choice."

"That's the spirit Uncle Ed!" She beamed.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that!" Edward roared.

"It doesn't matter how many times you tell me, because I'll never call anything else. It just dosn'tt feel right."

"I don't care if it feels right or not I don't like it!"

Al chuckled at their little dispute as they exited the small diner and headed towards Central Command, leaving behinde a confused Charlotte to finish her shift.


	15. South

_**\- Chapter 15** _

South

"See this is the reason I don't like coming to central." Edward mumbled as they made tier way down the hall of central command.

"I don't be such a baby." Josephine replied as she skipped down the hall. "I'm sure daddy will be very happy to see you two again. Especially since he didn't get a chance to say hello when you guys where here for the celebration a couple of days ago."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Yeah I'm sure he'll be ecstatic." He mumbled again.

"Oh com on Ed, would you a least try to act like you care?" Alphonse reprimanded.

They continued walking down the large hallway which was covered in historical portraits. Some they recognized, but others were as foreign to them as Drauchma or Creta.

They finally exited the hall and found themselves facing a huge marble staircase. There were two guards at the bottom of the steps and two more at the top, standing next to a grand doorway.

Even though Ed acted like this encounter was going to kill him, he couldn't help but smirk a little at the idea of seeing his old buddy again. Not that he would ever say it out loud, but he had sort of grown closer to the man.

They headed up the stair case with ease. of course that was to be expected. It was the daughter of the furor, the former fullmetal alchemist, and his younger brother that we were talking about here. No one in their right mind would ever stop them from doing anything.

Josephine was about to open the door when she heard a familiar voice speak out.

"Well this is something you don't see everyday."

Everyone turned around to find a young man with short black hair and brown eyes standing at the bottom of the steps. He was well built and wore black slacks, a white formal shirt, and a black vest on top.

"Andrew." Josephine sighed.

Andrew made his way up the steps to where the little group was standing.

"What a surprise to see you here sis. You usually never come to dad's office during the day." He then looked up at the two Elric brothers and smirked. "but I can see you're not alone."

"Well, what are you doing here?" Josephine asked.

"In case you've forgotten I actually work here." He replied sarcastically. Then he turned his attention back to the brothers.

"So, what brings you guys here?"

"We are looking for someone and were hoping that your father can help us." Al responded with a soft smile.

"Looking for someone? wait, don't tell me you're still..."

"No it's nothing like that." Al quickly replied. "Were looking for someone else. A girl named Robin Scott." Ed finished.

"Robin Scott huh?" Andrew started to think if there was any girl he knew by that name.

"Well, if anyone can help you it's daddy." Josephine said as she burst through the door without warning.

"Hey daddy, I brought visitors!" She announced as she entered the room.

Edward wanted to protest, but he was to late. so he just sighed in defeat and entered the room.

"Well it certainly has been a while, Full Metal."

Ed looked up at the middle aged man sitting at his desk smirking at him.

"It sure has, Mustang." He replied.

The room was fairly big and despite there being four guards outside the room, they still put two more guards inside the room

"You know Mustang, I never pegged you as the kind of person who needs protection 24/7." Ed commented.

Roy Mustang was sitting at a decent sized desk, shuffling through some paperwork that he had been over looking before his unexpected visitors arrived. He gently pushed his chair back from the desk and stood up.

"Well when you're the Furor you can never be too careful." He replied.

"Don't tell me you've gone soft? What, you can't handle a couple of assassins here and there?"

"You know Fullmetal, there is a reason why I am the furor."

"What, they got tired of you always bragging about it so they finally caved?" Roy rolled his eyes at Edwards sarcasm and continued.

"It's because I'm a smart man. I know when extra precautions are necessary, and I will not put anyone at risk. Cause like I said, you can never be too careful."

"Yeah whatever, look I didn't come here to banter were here on official business." Ed replied seriously.

Roy walked to the front of his desk and leaned back, as Ed and All made their way closer to him standing about 3 feet away.

"So, whats going on?" He asked now curious of their sudden arrival.

Ed and Al looked at each other for a second, contemplating on whether it really was a good idea to come to him for something like this. Realising that it was probably late to turn back now they turned back to him in all seriousness.

"Were looking for someone that was here on the day of the celebration." Al said, looking Roy straight in the eyes. Roy was surprised for a second, but then as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. Al was about to say more when Roy held up his hand to silence him. He looked back at his children. Andrew was leaning back on the door, waiting patiently while Josephine was lounging on one of the velvet couches. He sighed and then began speaking again.

"Andrew, sweetheart can you give us a few minutes?"

they both looked at their father for a minute, but quickly nodded their heads and went to exit the room. Roy then turned to the two guards on station by his door.

"You two aswell." He added.

At first the guards were a little confused and quite shocked, but quickly agreed and left as well. Now it was only Ed, Al, and Roy inside the big room. There was a moment of silence, as the three just stood there looking at the door.

"Well, now that we are alone."Roy started. " I want you to tell me the truth."

Ed and Al looked at him with nervous eyes, as he spoke with utter seriousness. There was no sarcasm, no jokes. He was as serious as can be.

" Are you looking for Trisha? Yes or No, I want the truth."

It was silent again for another minute before Al spoke up.

"I guess you could say that." He replied, know that there was no way he was going to buy one of their lies. Roy let out the breath he was holding and shook his head, but before he could say anything Ed decide to intervene.

"But it's not Trisha herself that were looking for. It's another girl named Robin Scott."

"We have reason to believe that Trisha is tied to this girl in some way. So, were just trying to find her to make sure." Al quickly stated, giving Roy the whole story, but Roy just looked at them with disbelief in his eyes

"Guys, I thought we agreed that this goose chase was over, and that you would move on with your lives?" He started. "Look I know how hard it is to loose someone you love, but this can't go on forever. It's not healthy for you, your family, and it certainly isn't healthy for my country. We all know how extreme your methods can become and want to try to keep the peace as good as I can. I don't feel like following you around Amestris cleaning up every single mess you mange to create. Just move on."

Roy tried the best he could to try to get through to them, but nothing he said had made any effect on Edward.

"It's been 13 years since she disappeared, and now I find out that there is still a chance that shes alive just walking around the country, and you expect me to just ignore it and do nothing?" He replied with an intense aura. There was no way he was giving up now. Even if it was just a slim chance, he had to make sure. Roy sighed knowing that he was never going to give up.

"I'm afraid that I can't help you then. I refuse to put Amestris at risk just so that you can look for a fairy tale." He said turning around and sitting back down in his chair.

"We understand sir. Sorry for bothering you." Al apologized, before turning to his brother. "Come on lets go."

They were just about to exit the door when Roy called out to them again.

"Fullmetal, If I hear any news about any disturbance from the two of you I will be forced to take drastic measures. You have been warned, so don't do anything stupid."

They didn't turn around to reply, but instead just left.

"Well, that was absolutely no help at all." Ed mumbled as they exited Central Command.

"You did hear what he said, right?" Al started. "We can't be to reckless, and we have to control ourselves. If anything gets out of hand it could be bad news for us." He reminded his brother, as they walked down the streets.

"Yeah I know, but I can't give up now. We just have to figure out where she went."

"Sounds easy enough, I mean how hard can it be to track down one girl in all of Amestris?" Al replied with deep sarcasm.

Ed glared at his brother as he found his sarcasm unamusing.

"Wait, Uncle Ed!"

The two brothers quickly turned around, startled by the sudden cry. They found Josephine running down the street towards them. When she finally caught up to them she had to stop for a couple of seconds to catch her breath.

" Josephine? What are doing?" Alphonse asked, in confusion.

"There was a call." She said through heavy breathes. "There was a call made from Resembool made out to you guys at the Command Center."

Ed and Al looked at each other, confused.

"Why would they call right now?" Ed finally asked.

"Did something happen?" Al added with concern.

"I don't know, but whatever it is they said it was urgent." She replied.

"Alright, well thanks we'll go back right now." Ed said as he and his brother started towards the Command Center again. However; they didn't get to far before Josephine stopped them again.

"No wait!" She exclaimed as she looked around frantically. "There." She said as she pointed to a nearby telephone booth.

"Come on, I can transmit the call through here." She said as she dragged them both towards the booth.

She quickly dialed the Command Center, and started going through all the procedures of outside calls. Finally she handed to phone to Ed.

"Alright here you go. Just hang up when your done talking. See ya!'" And with that she was running back towards the Center.

"Well that was odd." Al said before turning to his brother. Ed slowly brought the phone to his ear and mouth.

"Hello?"

"Dad?"

"Hadley? What are you doing, did something happen at home? Are you guys alright?"

"Yes were just fine."

"Then why are calling?"

"I just remembered something that Robin told us while we were at the diner."

"Well, what was it?"

"I'm so sorry I forget, but we were talking about her travels and when I asked where she was heading next she said she was going to go south."

"Really? Well this might have been some good information to have."

"I know I'm sorry, it just slipped mind I guess."

"It's alright. Thank you this a great help."

"I hope you find her."

"Me too, I have to go now sweetie, okay?"

"Alright, bye dad."

"Bye Hadley."

Edward hung up the phone and quickly turned to Al.

"Well, it looks like were going down south."


	16. Soul

_**\- Chapter 16** _

Soul

My feet relaxed as I felt the warm soft grass tickle my toes. The sun was bright, and the wind was as the grass, soft and warm. there was nothing there. I looked for houses, shops, anything. But all I could see was grass. Just fields of green grass. Like a meadow.

There wasn't much noise either. It was rather quiet. Only the sounds of the wind whistling through leaves, and the sound of a water trickling by. Only then I noticed that it wasn't just a barren field, but there were trees and a river with a fairly new brick bridge nearby.

It was beautiful, but why was I here. I couldn't remember what I was doing before. I started walking around to get a feel for the place. I headed over to the river first. The bridge was absolutely beautiful. It shined with red, yellow, and gold. Like it was something from dream. I could hardly believe that it was barren. Where were the people? Surely they would love to touch or simply just gaze upon something so magnificent.

I slowly set my hand down on the brick wall of the bridge. It felt smooth and warm like the sun. I slowly made my way across only to stop midway. I turned to look down in the river, and just like the bridge it too was more beautiful than you could imagine. The water was crystal clear and it shimmered in the sun like diamonds.

I was so distracted by the water itself that I just barely caught a glimpse of my reflection. I was looking down at a young woman. She looked to be somewhere between 17 and 20. She was quite beautiful with untarnished pale skin, golden hair that sank down further than I could see, and eyes as blue as the sky. She fit the scenery perfectly. except, She didn't look very happy. In fact she looked so distraught, and full of sorrow. She even seemed to be crying, But why?

I then realized that I myself was shedding tears. As a drop descended from my face and into the water the ripple discarded the image immediately. And just like that she was gone. Who was she and why was she so sad?

Then suddenly I heard a soft cry. I quickly turned from the river to look in the opposite direction. I listened closely never taking my eyes away. Then I heard it again this time more definite. I made my way off the bridge and headed towards the sound. Again I heard it. It was coming from a patch of trees. I quickly made my way over. Moving through the trees I was surprised to find a little girl. I couldn't see her face because she was hunched over with her hands the her face. However; I couldn't help but notice her hair. It was exactly the same as the young woman in the river. Even the height was the same. So long that it went past her feet. It was spread around her almost like a blanket.

I could hear the soft sobbing as she shook. Clearly she was crying, but why? This place was just filled to the brim with questions. It was a very confusing place.

I slowly approached the little girl as to not startle her. My hand slowly descended to her shoulder, but as I was just about to touch her. She vanished. Almost as if she was never even there. I was shocked at the sudden change. Where did she go?

I started searching around and calling out for her. I left the trees to search the meadow, But as I came out I quickly noticed something strange. There across the meadow and on the same bridge that I had stood on only just a minute ago, was another little girl. This one was different than the other. Her hair was deep red color. It reminded me of blood. It wasn't as long either it only went down to her shoulders, and just like before I could only see the back of her since she was turned away. She was looking into the river That much I could tell.

I started making my way towards her when something strange started occurring. The little girl started to grow. Slowly her height increased, her hair grew longer, and her body began transforming into a more shape like figure. She now resembled a young woman.

Curious as to what just transpired I quickly started for the bridge again. I was sanding at the edge of the bridge now, right next to the water. I looked up at the woman and was just about to cross the bridge to her when she started to turn. Slowly she turned her whole body towards me, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I was shocked to find myself looking into the blood red eyes that seemed to resonate with fire. She started at me for a while. I wanted to move but I was paralyzed. Finlay she spoke.

"It's all your fault."

* * *

"I'm so tired, can we please set up camp now?" Alphonse complained as he struggled to keep his eyes opened. The two brothers had been walking for hours and it was now very late and very dark outside. They had just passed Dublith about an hour ago and where now in the middle of no where. They had both debated on whether or not they should have stopped by to pay their old teacher a visit but quickly decided against it. They had much more pressing matters to deal with and they couldn't waste any time. Besides they both knew that if they reveled to her their reasons for being there she would strongly disapprove and try to convince them otherwise.

There was also the part about Edward refusing to travel by train in fear that he might miss something crucial along the roads. Alphonse could easily understand his reasoning, but he was not very happy about the idea of walking miles and miles each day in the hot sun. Sure he was fit and had strong muscles that rarely failed him, but anyone would be exhausted and sore after walking for so long in these conditions.

Edward looked back at his brother and noticed that he had already collapsed on the soft cool grass and was now resting. Edward however; didn't feel the exhaustion that his little brother did and felt like he could still go on for hours. It was probably just the thought of finding his long-lost daughter again that drove him so relentlessly.

"Alright, I guess it's time to retire for the night. We don't want to wear ourselves down too hard." He sighed a little disappointed that they had to stop.

* * *

Little did both of them know that only a few miles away a mysterious and dark figure was rapidly making it's way down the road straight towards the two brothers.

* * *

Edward sat outside the small tent that he and Al had set up and just stared at the stars. Alphonse had quickly fallen asleep and was now dreaming peacefully. Edward on the other hand couldn't fall asleep and decided on staying up for the night instead. All he could think about was Trisha. What if Ting was right? What if what Cyrus felt that day really had been Trisha, and she was still out there somewhere lost?This Robin girl could be the key to getting his precious little girl back.

They had asked every person that they had come across if they had seen a young girl with long red hair, but unfortunately no one had seen such a girl anywhere.

Ed sat there for a good two hours before deciding to go back into the tent and try to get some sleep in before morning. He just barely stood up when he suddenly heard something rustling in the bushes across the road. It was about 35ft away from the tent. He stopped immediately and looked closely at the shrub, but saw nothing. Thinking it was just his imagination he continued to make his way to the tent, but then the sound returned and once again he quickly turned around to face the same spot.

He knew he heard something, but what was it? He slowly started to make his way across the road, caution following his every step. He got closer and closer and closer until he was just inches away from the bush. He hesitated for a second, but quickly got down on his knees and pushed the leaves and branches away in an attempt to discover what was there, but was a little surprised to find nothing there.

Maybe he was just being paranoid and it was just a small animal or maybe just the wind. He quickly relaxed and let out a sigh. Deciding that it was finally time to go to bed he raised himself of the ground and turned around to head back to the tent, but right when he did he froze solid in his steps as he immediately noticed a dark figure crawling slowly and ominously around the small tent that Alphonse was fast asleep in.

He tried to get a better look of the figure, but he couldn't make out any distinctions. It was like he was entirely black. He had no clothes, no hair, and his body seemed so allusive, almost like a ghost or a spirit.

He slowly and cautiously made his way over to the tent, making each step as quiet and soft as possible so the figure wouldn't notice him. It only took Edward four steps for the figure to realize that he was not alone. He quickly turned towards the young man, and that's when Edward noticed that he didn't have a face. He was so shocked that he didn't notice the piercing screech the figure just let loose. It was so fast, faster than anything he had ever seen. It had reached Ed in only half a second, but stopped dead in it's tracks when they where only 1 inch apart.

Edward was still frozen with fear, but why? He had faced so many worse things before, even death. So why did this...this...THING paralyze him instantly. The feeling he got from this thing was overwhelming. It felt so powerful that he could feel the warm drops of tears descend his face. He felt so overwhelmed with sorrow that he could barely stand.

"EDWARD!"

Ed finally snapped out of his trance and crashed to the ground. The figured raised his hands and started to claw at him. Luckly he was quick enough to get out of the way, but just barely. He turned to look back at the tent a saw Alphonse standing by the side of the road with shock covering his face. Edward picked himself up as fast as he could and sprinted back to his brother.

"What's going on, and what the hell is that thing?!" Alphonse asked frantically.

"I have no idea, but it's no friend of ours." He replied trying to regain control of his breathing. Alphonse then noticed his tear stained face.

"Hey are you okay? Were you crying?" He asked, now a little concerned.

"What, no. I'm fine it's just..." But before he could finish the creature lunged towards him again letting out another horrifying screech. Edward was to late to react and was pulled down by his feet. Edward was suddenly engulfed in pain and sorrow. He screamed and cried furiously trying to get away. The creature then proceeded to merge itself with the ground and he quickly turned into what looked like a shadow, but it never lost it's firm grip of the young man. This all happened in a matter of seconds, and Edward was now being viciously dragged away.

Alphonse didn't have a lot of time to react, but quickly sprung into action. He ran as fast as he could to catch up. However; he soon realized that if he didn't do something now his brother was going to be gone for good. So as fast as he could he used alchemy to create something that looked like it could be used as a spear. He then took aim and flung it as hard as he could.

The spear pierced right through the shadow and in an instant it was gone. Alphonse quickly made his way down the road to where his brother was. Edward was lying on the ground on his stomach. His eyes were wide open, he was hyperventilating, His face was bright red, and he was covered in tears.

"Edward! Oh my god, are you alright?" He kneeled down to the ground and tried to help him up. It looked like he was dead. The only way that you could tell he was alive was from his constant heavy breathing, but other than that he didn't move a muscle. That is until Alphonse tried to touch him. Edward then freaked out. He retracted his arm immediately and screamed.

"NO NO NO.. DON'T TOUCH ME!" He was absolutely hysterical.

"It's okay Ed, it's just me, Alphonse." He explained calmly while slowly approaching him again. "It's just me brother."

Edward stared at him for a minute, but finally calmed down enough for Al to help him up. Alphonse immediately took him back to the tent and laid him down on one of the sleeping bags. He gave him his pillow and his blanket in an attempt to make him feel safer and calm him down. Alphonse didn't really mind. He would just stay up and watch over his brother and make sure that nothing else happened.

What was that thing, and why did it have such a huge effect on Ed. Whatever it was he had a feeling that it wasn't over.


	18. Nightmares

_**\- Chapter 17** _

Nightmares

The sun was shining so beautifully, the wind was soft and cool, the birds seemed happier as they chirped gleefully in the soft green trees. It would seem like a perfect morning to mostly everyone. But, even the beauty of the morning couldn't lift the mood of the two brothers making their way down the dirt road.

Edward was still a little tense and on edge from the other night, and was having a hard time trying to find the confidence and strength to move forward. The only motivation being finding his daughter and brining her home.

Alphonse wasn't his chiper self either. He walked slowly beside his brother casting quick glances at him every once in a while. He was still a little worried and concerend for him.

"Are you sure you're okay to keep going?" Alphonse started, "Cause we could rest a little more if you want?"

Edward didn't answer at first and just kept walking. There was no way he was stopping now, no matter how much he might have wanted to. Time was of the essence.

"Brother?"

"I'm fine Al!" Ed interupted, not wanting to go further into the conversation, unfortunatley Alphonse wasn't going to give up so easily.

"I'm not an idiot Ed, you're obviously not okay." He threw his arm out in front of his brother to stop him from going any further, and stepped in front of him so that they were face to face.

"I know this might not be something that you want to disscus at the moment, but we have to talk about it sooner or later." He finished.

Edward sighed in defeat, knowing that Alphonse wasn't going to let him move any further until they talked.

"Well what exactly do you want me to say?" He questioned. "I mean I have no idea what that THING was."

"No, and neither do I, but whatever it was it made your emotions go crazy and I want to know what happened there." Alphonse explained, thinking back on the screaming, and the tears, and everything else that went crazy last night.

Edward looked down at his feet thinking back on the same thing. Whatever that thing was it terrified him. it was like a shadow filled with every upseting emotion like regret, anger, denial, fear, guilt, envy, and sorrow. It was like a never ending song of sadness and despair. It was so strong that you could feel it even when it wasn't touching you. All it had to do was stand next to you and you would burst into tears, and when it really did touch you it was so painfull and frightning. It almost felt like you were being ripped apart on the inside, dying from within.

He looked back up at his little brother and saw the concern in his eyes, but there was also a little bit of curiosity there as well.

" I'm not sure what really happened Al," He began walking again down the road, forcing Alphonse to follow. "All I can say is that the feeling it gave me was absolutley wretched. It almost felt like my insides were being ripped apart, and it was a feeling that I couldn't even comprehend."

Both of them were silent for a few minutes as they continued to walk.

" What I want to know is where it came from, where it went, and what it wants." Edward finished.

"Well it was dragging you up this way down the road, and so that's where were going, but I have no idea what it wanted." Alphonse replied.

"It did seem to really want you, though it could have taken either one of us."

"You think it wants me?" Edward asked.

"I don't know, maybe, or maybe you were just closer and thats why it took you. whatever the reason may be, I have a feeling that we'll figure it out soon enough."

* * *

Robin sat in the tent looking closly at a map of the area they were in. She had probably been staring at it for an hour now. Of course she spent most of the time thingking about her dream. It had bothered her ever since she woke up.

"You know, you really should be trying to get some sleep." Robin quickly turned her head towards the entrance to the tent to find Kevin comining in from outside. It was still dark out and the sun probably wouldn't rise for another hour.

"I'm fine," Robin turned back to her map. "I'm not even tired anymore."

Kevin sighed and looked at her with disbelief. "Robin you've been looking at that silly thing for an hour now. What are you even looking for?"

Robin didn't bother to look up as she answered. "I'm looking for places simillar to the one in my dream. Maybe if I find a place like that I'll find some answeres."

"Robin it wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare. You said it yourself. Why would you want to find a place that was in a bad dream?" Kevin questioned.

Robin didn't look up, but she stopped concentrating on the map as she remebered her vivid dream.

* * *

"It's all your fault." The woman said as she began to make her way towards me. Her hair was as black as a ravens feather and her eyes like blood and fire.

"You killed her." She said with a sickening grin. She didn't stop her advance towards me, and I kept backing up. The curiosity I felt just a second ago was now replaced with fear and dread.

"No, I...I havn't killed anyone. I swear!" I said nervously, still backing further away.

"Stop it, stay away!" I began, now terrified of the woman. It was then that she lunged towards me, screeching."

"YOU KILLED HER!"

"NOOO!" I shrieked. I turned to run, but tripped and fell to my knees. I closed my eyes, tightened my fists, and waited for the pain. However; it never came. slowly I started to open one eye then quickly flung both of them open as she was faced with white tile flooring. I looked up and was faced with a chair. It was gray and made of metal and plastic. I pulled my hands off the floor so that I was sitting on my knees. I quickly noticed that there was more than one chair. In fact there were nine of them. five were placed against the wall next to each other, while the other four where placed against a wall next to the other wall. It looked like a perfect nighty degree wall with chairs neatly stacked against it.

I quickly got to my feet and turned around to get a view of where I was, and was suprised to find myself standing in what looked like a hospital. In fact I was sure it was a hospital because it had that strong chemical smell. However; I found it quite strange that there was no one there. It was absolutley silent.

"Hello?" I called out. I started walking down a hallway, looking for anyone who could have been there. It was strange. The further into the hospital I went the more familliar it I got to the end of the hall I turned the corner and stopped. In front of me stood a tall beautiful woman. She looked similar to the girl in the water. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes like the sky. She was facing a door in the wall, and she looked saddened. I started making my way towards her.

"Hello?" I began, trying to get her attention. She seemed suprised as she turned to me. She then smiled sweetly and caressed my face with her hands.

"My sweet little girl." She whispered. Her touch felt so warm and inviting, almost like a mother's touch. However her warmth didn't last long as her eyes narrowed and her hands slid down to my neck. She held on tight and didn't let go, and I could feel my breathe slipping away. I tried to break free but she was too strong. The woman began crying. She looked so sad.

"You wretched girl, look what you've done. LOOK AT ME!" She screamed as her beautiful appearance melted away to be replaced with a hideous corpse.

"TRISHA!"

* * *

Then Robin woke up, sweating and panting like crazy. Robin looked back up to Kevin.

"I have to find her." Robin said as she continued to scan the map.

"Who?"

"The woman in my dreams," She began still foucusing on the map. "She knows who I am. I can feel it." Robin couldn't help but think back on the name she screamed, Trisha. Robin knew she had heard that name before, but she couldn't remember where and it was driving her insane.

Kevin could see the fire in her eyes and realized that it was pointless to argue with her. He can't help but worry a little as she pushes herself. He knows it's not healthy, and if she dosen't get any sleep soon, she will most likely pass out from exaustion. However there is something else that is putting him a little more on edge. She seemed diffrent somehow. In the begining she was so hopeful and determined to find her parents. She seemed so bright and full of life, but now it seems like that light has been exstinguished and been replaced with a darkness. She seems more driven than ever, but it doesn't seem like it's hope that's driving her, no it seems more like it's fear. It almost seems like if she doesn't find what shes looking for she'll die.

"There seem to be some country towns further down south here." Robin started again, "I think we should start there." Kevin sighed and took the map from her hands.

"Great, now can you please get some rest." He pleaded as he stuffed the map back in his bag. However when he turned back around Robin had already fallen asleap on her sleeping bag. Kevin chuckled a little at how cute she looked all tuckered out. Kevin also realized that he was begining to fall deeper for this girl. Everything she did captivated him, and he absolutley loved to look at her. She was nothing shy of beautiful that's for sure. Even though he wasn't technically a human, it almost felt like it at that moment. Nothing could hide the fact that Kevin was falling madley in love with Robin Scott.

He grabbed one of the small blankets in his bag and carefully draped it over the girl. He sat down next to her and pushed a red strand of hair out of her face and smiled. He just hoped that she would find what she was looking for soon, and hoped that his gut feeling about this darkness was nothing but him being paranoid.

* * *

"Where am I?" The young man woke up with a pounding in his head. he looked around and found that he was surrounded by what looked like piles and piles of books. It looked a little like a labratory. The young man tried to stand up. He wobbled a little but finally got a good sturdy stance.

"Hello?" He called out. It was a little hard to see in this place, it was so dark.

"It worked." The young man quickly turned around and was faced with a broken man. He looked to be very old, somewhere in his mid 60ies. He had no hair and his eyes were full of pain. His body was hunched over and he was breathing heavily. He seemed so dull and lifeless. He then fell to the ground and stopped moving. The young man freaked out. He fell to the floor next to the man and flipped him over.

"Hey are you okay!?" He then saw the pale lifeless expression on his face and realized he was dead. He gently put him down and stood back up.

"What the hell is going on here!?" He franticlly looked around the lab to find any clues as to what had just happened. He spotted the table with all the notes scattered. He quickly headed over and started ruffiling through them. It was a little hard at first to decifer them, but it got easier the more he looked over them. They seem to be some kind of alchemy notes. As his hands flew through the papers, his hands hit something hard that went flying of the table and onto the ground with a loud cracking sound. He bent over to pick it up. It was a mirror, but it now had a crack in it from the fall. He was a little suprised by his reflection. He seemed like a perfect specimen. Very cut and very handsome. His eyes wear a mystic purple color and his blackhair was short and tassled, but what intruiged him the most was the dragon tatoo on his forehead. He gently touched his forehead with his fingers.

"What happened to me?" He almost whispered. His eyes then caught sight of some papers that had been scattered on the floor. He looked down and recognised the picture as the same on his head. He put down the mirror and knelt down next to the papers.

"A homonculous, What's that?" But before he could read more a loud banging sound came from the other side of the lab, and a light blasted into the dark room. The young man covered his eyes for a second as they tried to adjust. He could hear sevral footsteps coming closer and struggled to see what was going on. Finally his eyes adjusted and he was able to make out a very tall thin man. he was dressed in a black tux and his blonde hair was neatly comed back. He had a very erie prescence. He was also accompanied by four big burly men in some kind of uniforms.

"Well look what we have here." The man sneered as he kicked the dead body of the old man.

"You old fool."

"Who are you?" The young man asked getting back on his feet. The fancy man turned to face him and instantly broke into a more erie smile.

"Well lookie here, I guess the old man really did it." He began making his way closer the him. "My name is Daniel Heart, and you," He then pointed to the young man. "Are going to make me millions."

"What are you talking about?" The man asked as he began to slowly back away. Daniel stopped his advance and looked back to the old man.

"That is Dr. Kevin Philipps. He was working with me to create artifical intelligence, or in this case, a homonculous."

"What's a homonculous?"

"A homonculous is an artificsally made imortal human being. You draw a part of yourself out and create life with it, usualy a sort of trait or emotion, at least so I've heard. The doctor was the one who dealt with all the technical aspects of the project. However it seems like he used a little too much of himself. Now the poor bastard is dead." He had such a malicious smile to his face and his whole body just radiated with greed, selfishness, and pure evil. The young man didn't like this at all.

"Perhaps it would be better if you had a name so I would know what to call you." Daniel took a look at the doctor and smiled.

"How about Kevin? I fine way to honor the poor bastard." He then looked back at the young man and smiled. "Don't you think?"

"You're insane." Kevin said as he began scanning the room for an exit. There was no way he was staying here with this lunatic. Daniel frowned at Kevin's accusations.

"I'm not one to play games young man, but if you resist I will not hesitate to use any force neccasary. This whole ordeal is not as legal as you may think. And if you think I'm going to let it slip that I've been messing with things that ought not to be messed with, then you're not as smart as I thought." However Kevin didn't listen as he found an exit about 12 feet to his right. He took one glance back at the poor old doctor and booked it.

"AFTER HIM!" Daniel screamed as his burly bodygaurds sprang into action. Kevin sprinted out the door and was imediatly welcomed by a cool wind. The entire place was covered in snow. He squinted and saw faint lights on the horizon and ran. He never stopped, not even the crisp, freezing wind could stop him. It help that he couldn't really feel it. He guessed it was a perk of being imortal. His legs were strong and they were able to carry him far, but the gaurds never stopped chasing him.

He made it to the small town, but kept going. What now? Where was he supposed to go? He was so obsorbed in finding a place to hide that he wasn't really paying attention to the road ahead, and in a second he was on the ground. He looked up to find a girl rubbing her head. He looked back behind him to see the gaurds gaining in fast. He scrambled from the ground and to the girl. There was no way he was gonna let her give him away.

"HEY, watch where you're going moron!" The girl yelled, but Kevin quickly put his hand to her mouth and pulled her into the ally way nearby. Little did he realize that he was about fall head over heels in love with the beautiful woman in his arms.


End file.
